Shadows of Egypt
by godsofancientpast
Summary: Marik never really wanted to be a tomb keeper, but even more frightening is the prophecy carved into his back. Now 5000 years have passed and Marik must go and find his shadow self. He will need the help of the Egyptian gods, those that can summon them, and a thief. If they cannot defeat Zorc now then the world will fall. The forgotten heroes of Egypt must rise again.
1. Phase 01: Shadow Mine

**AN:**

**This idea came from a really weird dream I had once, though it was completely unrelated to Yu-Gi-Oh. I hope you enjoy reading it anyway. This has some fluff in it, as well as hugging and kissing, and it does have some BronzeShipping. Anyway, I hope you like reading the story of this, and feel free to leave a review below. This involves BronzeShipping, and though Bakura and Marik are close friends there isn't any ThiefShipping, sorry.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of Yu-Gi-Oh. This is a non profit fan made fan fiction. **

**Please enjoy.**

**END AN**

* * *

Phase 01: Shadow Mine

* * *

Marik had always had the same dream. It always scared him on some deep level that he could never quite understand. When he was younger he had thought it more than that, a dream. But now he was ten, and he had just finished the Tomb Keeper's Rite of Passage. He was bound to serve the three Egyptian gods that were carved into his back, along with the runes of a long forgotten prophecy. Marik had learned of it, but he preferred to think he hadn't. It was a terrible thing to ever imagine happening at all. The child twitched painfully in his sleep, under the ever worried and watchful eyes of his adopted older brother Odion. Odion watched on as the boy whimpered pitifully and attempted to sleep. But there was little he could do.

* * *

_He knew where he was, though he'd never been outside the tomb. It was Egypt, where the boy had lived his entire life. There were four figures running through the sands, towards a dark and foreboding mountain. Marik didn't want to go there, but seeing as he was seeing through the eyes of one of the strangers he couldn't exactly not go there. He was reliving memories, as if this were himself. Sights and sounds came to him clearly, though he could feel nothing and only watch on with half his senses, strangely deadened to the world. _

_To the front of the group was a young man. He was handsome, and though Marik knew, as dreamers know, that the man was younger than him by a year or so, he watched the man with awe and respect. He had a magnificent mane of hair, spiked up like some great crown, black but rimmed with red and gold. His eyes were fierce and grim as he looked straight ahead, the brightly burning violet orbs had only one destination for him. He was lightly tanned, and was leaning into the horse's stride, willing the white charger to surge forward even faster. He was adorned in gold, speaking of a high bearing, and around his neck was the Millennium Puzzle, an upside down pyramid that hung by a cord around his neck with a single gleaming eye in its center. On his wrist was a strange golden gauntlet, which he held back, only keeping some great beast's wrath behind him in check. _

_The dreamer's eyes turned to look towards another, about side by side with him. It was another young man. This one was not so richly decorated, though still obviously of some high class. He wore a royal blue robe, and carried a small rod in his hand, a golden thing with blades on its side and the same style of eye. He had brown hair, that was mostly hidden under his hat, and bright blue eyes. He looked at Marik, and his eyes softened just a little. Trust maybe? This man was also a little younger than him, though he looked the oldest and stood the tallest. He also was holding something back with the same kind of gantlet. It was obvious though that the creatures wanted forward. The brown haired young man's eyes traveled behind him suddenly, and his eyes grew sharp with anger, hatred even. His horse was brown._

_Marik knew what he looked like, the same as he did now. He would have had caramel colored skin, a deep and healthy brown color. His eyes would be a striking lavender color, leaping out brightly against the color of his skin. His body would be well toned for his age (whatever that really was in the dream) and he would be about average height, though slightly taller. His hair would be a silver blonde color, framing his face and looking strangely light for his skin, but not unpleasant to look at. The boy could even imagine that he had the same eyeliner on his face. The clinking of metal told him that he too was of some higher class. In one hand he held a set of scales, beautifully ornate things full of craftsmanship but simple as well. He knew it held power. These he could use to judge a person's sins. The other was outstretched, also holding something back. His horse was a dappled gray._

_The dreamer's eyes turned to look behind him. The first thing that commanded his view were the three Egyptian gods. Slightly to the lead was Slifer, the Sky Dragon. It was red and had two mouths, one gaping open in rage, its yellow eyes glowing menacingly. It was a long red dragon, slightly coiled even in the air and sliding through it rather than flying. This was being controlled by the man in the front. To the left of it was Obelisk the Tormentor. The creature was a huge blue monster, fangs slightly open and fists clinched with fury. It was running along behind them and causing the very desert to shift with his booming steps. This beast was controlled by the man with brown hair. Then behind him was the great golden dragon, almost resembling a bird but golden in color and just as smooth. Great wings loomed out behind it, though they also did not move. Its beak was open, roaring silently with anger. This was the huge and powerful Winged Dragon of Ra. The creature's red eyes met his a moment, begging him to go faster. He nodded, though he could push the poor horse no faster. It would die if he did. _

_Then he noticed the young man behind them all, watching them warily. This was what had warranted the brown haired man's death glare. He was a thief, and an outsider. But he had come to help them on their strange quest. He was by far the oldest, and it showed on his face. He looked older than he should have. He had long and bushy white hair and blue eyes. On his right cheek was a long scar. He ran the black horse as fast as he dared after them, watching the gods carefully. He was obviously nervous, and though he had the same device on his arm, he had summoned no monsters. Marik felt his eyes shift back towards the brown haired individual. He began to speak in Ancient Egyptian, but Marik found that he understood him. _

"_Leave him be Seto," the man that was him addressed the man quiet enough that the man behind him couldn't hear. "He has not betrayed us. Even Ra said that he sensed no ill will from him, and you know how hard it is to get Ra to trust anyone." Seto looked towards him._

"_I cannot," he growled. "I am sorry Marik, but I cannot." that had always surprised Marik a little. Why were their names the same? "He is little more than a thief. And more than that! He is the Thief King Bakura! We should never have let him come."_

"_He is the only one else who knows how to open those accursed gates," Marik said. "He will not betray us. Have faith." then he chuckled a little. "You would think a priest would have more faith."_

"_I still cannot understand why the Pharoh would allow him to come with us," the priest said, eyes flashing a little with anger at the thought of the betrayal his friend might face. Yes, the man in front of them was a Pharaoh, but none that Marik had ever heard the name of. It was the same Pharaoh whose tomb he was keeper of now. The unnamed Pharaoh. "You understand Marik. You are the head of the palace guard."_

"_I do," Marik replied. "But I trust in the judgment of our king. My lord," this is where there was a jumbled mess of sounds that Marik could never make out. Marik had said the name of the Pharaoh, but it never made sense to him. "We are approaching now. Should we not slow the horses and leave them outside? Brave as we may be, I do not think they will consent to let us take them through the gates. There is much darkness there."_

_The man towards the front glanced back at him, and then slowly nodded. They all knew that the poor horses were already shaking, out of fear and fatigue. They would not be able to bring themselves closer to that place. Loyal beasts though they were, they knew they were going to certain death, and so they didn't want to bring that same fate upon the animals. At last, the Pharaoh called for the halt and they let the horses stop, leaping off. Bakura stopped farther back as the three of them leaped up onto the backs or shoulders of the Egyptian gods they commanded. Instantly Marik turned towards the other man, and held out his hand. _

"_Bakura come," Marik called. _

_Seto didn't seem to like that idea much either. It was obvious that he was fond of both young men. Marik alone however could see the momentary flash of relief and gratefulness within the eyes of the white haired man. It was obvious that there was something more between the two of them, and somehow they had become friends. The golden god of Ra obviously approved, and reached his hand towards the young man as Marik had done. The Thief King leaped up to the beast's other shoulder, glancing over at Marik, before looking forward again. Seto's death glare told him that if he put so much as a single scratch on Marik or the Pharaoh that he was going to destroy him and let Obelisk live up to his name. _

_The two gods took to the sky, and Obelisk broke out again into a run. They traveled much faster now, and there was nothing holding them back except for the occasional fear of dropping their riders. Now they traveled much faster and went on towards the black mountain. Marik could see now that it was no mountain at all, but rather, a huge fortress, crude in design and full of malice. Marik didn't want to go there, but somehow he knew that he had to go there._

"_We approach," came the voice of the Pharaoh, a voice that he would know instantly if he heard it. It was strong and spoke of power, deeper and richer than what seemed should have come from that body. But it was a voice that made Marik's sleeping form shiver a little. Not out of fear, but instead out of relief, as if he had been waiting forever to hear it. "Stay on your guard. This is the domain of Zorc now. We will have to tread lightly."_

"_We will follow you, my lord," Seto said, glancing at Bakura and letting him know once again that he didn't approve of him, which Bakura ignored. _

"_You have my loyalty," Marik replied. "As you have always had."_

"_I will help you," Bakura replied simply. "I owe as much."_

_Marik knew without looking or seeing that Seto would be murmuring something about him owing much more than that. But this wasn't a time to bicker. They had to keep going and remain united. There was no way that they could hope to prevail if they did not. That was the only reason that Seto seemed to be putting up with the Thief King at all. But Bakura didn't mind. There was only one person here whose loyalty he truly held in his heart. It was Marik, and there was a simple reason for that. _

_He had nearly been killed, only to be saved by him and his Egyptian god. He quickly put his thieving talents to good use, and their army and their expeditions excelled at everything they did. Seto had protested, saying that there was no way he could ever reform. The Pharaoh had trusted Marik enough to let him do as he saw fit. Bakura disliked the Pharaoh because his father had murdered his whole family for no reason, and he despised Seto because he hated him because of fear. But to Marik he would give his very soul to at his word. The man had no only saved his life, but shown him the only friendship he had ever known. _

_You see, Bakura didn't know it then, but he was a kleptomaniac. He HAD to steal things. It was written in his very DNA. The ancients of course, had no name for this, and called him a lowly thief, not realizing that there was a perfectly natural, if somewhat peculiar explanation behind it. He had gotten good at his thieving, quick and agile. And he was oddly good at it to, so that he had been named the Thief King. People had always hated him for it, thinking he was evil, so he had grown hardened and bitter. When he had been caught by the Palace guard, he had thought he was going to die. But Marik quickly came to his rescue, and to his utter surprise had welcomed him._

_Marik had a strange way of using everyone's talents to the best of their ability, and Bakura's ability to get even a large number of people anywhere nearly completely unseen was effortless and had helped them many times. He helped in other ways as well, and though he often stole from Marik because he could not help it, the man pretended not to notice and looked the other way. It was if somehow he had understood that this was nothing the man could help about himself. The head of the Palace Guard was also a rather friendly man, and so he had managed to melt through even Bakura's stone heart. That friendly and trusting nature is why Seto was so determined that Bakura wasn't going to harm Marik. But that was also the reason Bakura was willing to give everything to him._

_How of course the dreamer knew all of this information was beyond him. Before when he had seen the dream it had only been the raw details, watching and hearing. But now he could tell thoughts, at least those that the memories could assess and bring forward. It was if he truly were reliving old memories, from a time that was obviously a long time ago. They were growing stronger, and Marik could only imagine what it could mean._

_They had reached the terrible black gates at last, huge slabs of stone that were inscribed in runes that Marik couldn't decipher, but knew he didn't particularly want to. They spoke of cruelty, darkness and death. The three gods stopped, standing before the great gate and staring intently. Slowly, Ra lowered Bakura, who nervously but expertly gave the area a critical eye. He saw no signs of an ambush or danger, so quietly he walked to the great door, where a giant puzzle held the ancient locks in place. It was again locked, and it seemed to make no sense to the three men or even the gods who watched on. But Bakura knew the pattern and quickly began rearranging the slots so that they took on the shape that he knew they must take. _

_Carefully then he stepped back, watching with a little pleasure and also fear as the terrible gates clacked and creaked and then swung open. They all tensed, as if they suspected the god of darkness to suddenly leap from the shadows and attack them right then and there. But the halls were suspiciously quiet and deserted, as if nothing had moved within for the countless centuries that it had been sealed. Marik called, and Bakura quickly returned to the golden god, leaping back up to the dragon's shoulder and watching carefully. After a long moment of silence, the Pharaoh and his Egyptian god went forward, then the priest and his. Following up the rear came the thief and the guard on the golden god. _

_Within the halls however, they realized it was no deserted or without protection. As soon as the door clanged shut and began to relock itself, they all gasped and found that they were separated from the others. Marik, Ra, and Bakura now seemed all alone in a hallway. Startled cries from elsewhere alerted them that the same had happened with Obelisk and Seto, and Slifer and the Pharaoh._

"_Where are you?" Seto cried. _

"_I am unhurt," the Pharaoh replied, though they had to yell because there seemed to be some distance between them. "Though I have no idea where I am. This is not the same hall." Indeed, none of them were where they had began. Marik and Bakura both looked around nervously and noticed the hieroglyphics drawn along the walls seemed to pulse with energy._

"_Marik?" Seto called, seeming nervous that he had yet to reply._

"_We are fine," Marik called back. "Bakura and I are still here with Ra. It seems it was a spell meant to separate the gods, and so it also separated us."_

"_That seems to be the case," the Pharaoh said. "That does make sense. Someone knew we were coming, and they prepared."_

"_We should keep going," Bakura called. "There is nothing we can do until we find each other or Zorc. Let us hope we can escape farther tricks."_

_No one had any better ideas, so before long they disappeared into the silence that surrounded them, letting the halls lead them where they would. There was little else to be done. They didn't call to each other, afraid of awakening whatever darkness was present in these halls. Ra kept Bakura and Marik carefully on his shoulders, not allowing them to touch the ground at all. It was as if the god feared the very floors and walls of this place. As it was the creature had to be very careful that his wings didn't brush the walls of the halls as he went along. _

"_Why are you so nervous?" Marik asked. Then came something that had always terrified and calmed Marik some how at the same time as he dreamed. _

_**This place is evil young one, **came the reply, a voice that was deep, terrible, sad, full of joy, and angry all at the same time. It was the voice of an ancient creature. **I would not let you walk here. There is much darkness within these walls. **_

_Marik looked away, though he noticed Bakura look at him nervously. He could not hear the voice of the god, but that man had always been so strangely loyal to him. The sleeping boy shuddered a little again, feeling the very evil through the air, though he was safe and many long years separated him and the dream. He couldn't deny that he was terrified of what he might find there, as if he was seeing and doing all of this himself. _

_Slowly they made their way down the halls. Marik seemed nervous, and Bakura was even more so. He knew that this separation couldn't be the only trap that they would face. He had robbed too many tombs and royal palaces to think that one trap would be all that there was. The fact that they had encountered no others made the thief very nervous. He looked around with a carefully trained eye, but he was unable to see anything. Until a brief flash of purple alerted him that they had very little time at all before the trap was sprung. _

"_Marik," Bakura gasped. _

_Within seconds he had leaped across the god's shoulders and grabbed the surprised and confused guard, leaping away. Ra too had realized what was going on, and had turned to protect the two men from most of the attack. It almost seemed to his eyes that purple lightening sparked to life out of the walls. The god writhed in agony and thrashed, crashing into the walls and the ceiling, narrowly missing the two young men with his tail. Two other sounds of the same crashing and roaring alerted them that the traps had been sprung onto the others as well._

_The god hadn't blocked all of the attack though, and the two men gasped. But Bakura again leaped forward to protect Marik, keeping him from being hurt. Marik tried to call him back, but some of the ceiling was dislodged by the god's thrashing, and it crashed down on top of them. For the third and last time, Bakura saved Marik from certain death that day. _

_For a while the scene was confused and the dreamer could make nothing out. With some time however the scene righted itself, and Marik felt such great horror and sorrow though he had never met the man and probably never would. The horror the other him felt was much greater though. Obviously hurt, he struggled to run over to the white haired man, that had pushed him away and saved him from being killed. Marik's arms were bleeding, his head swam, but Bakura was dying. There was no way to deny that. He knelt and laid his hand on Bakura's shoulder. The thief's glazed blue eyes met his._

"_B-Bakura?" Marik asked. "Why?" for a minute, the white haired man struggled to answer._

"_Because," he said. "you saved my life before, and I owed you. You were the only one that showed me that I could be more than just a useless thief. I had no way to help stop Zorc anyway. The other two just saw me little more than a means to open the gates. They do not care that I am dying. But you must live and stop him. We all know what will be lost if you do not."_

_Marik could only stare in horror at his friend as he watched him helplessly, unable to help. The trap was dying down, but he was hardly aware of that. The Pharaoh and Seto were calling to Marik, trying to figure out what was going on. They had heard Bakura call out his name in terror. Marik couldn't respond. He was covered in blood, but mostly it wasn't his own. It was Bakura's. At last, the man leaned down and laid a gentle kiss on the man's forehead. He would not cry. He had seen too much as a palace guard to cry. He was filled with sorrow, but he would not cry. Instead, he felt a rage building in him. The injured god sensed it as well and turned to look. Through their mental link Marik could feel rage rising within the god. _

"_Sleep then," Marik told the thief quietly. "And wait for me. I will most likely be joining you soon. Travel well to the final judgment, and may your sins be washed clean because of this selfless act. Perhaps there is hope for you yet. I know there is."_

_The words seemed to comfort the thief. This was obviously something that seemed to have been troubling him for a long time. For a while more the guard and the god sat there quietly, watching until the man died. Marik was silent, still not answering. But he could not bring himself to speak. How could life be taken away so easily? He felt a rage boiling through him. More than his own rage, the rage of the wrathful god of Ra washed over him. _

_The god suddenly raised his head, let out a loud bird like screech. Over and over again it made the sound, flapping its wings and slapping its tail into the ground. Elsewhere Marik knew that Seto and the Pharaoh could hear the creature's rage and would grow even more afraid. The god however also began to speak, and the other gods could hear what he was crying though the humans would not, because they did not share the mental link with this god. However he was certain that their own gods would tell him what he said. _

_**Murderer, **the terrible voice cried. **Villain! Fiend! You will die for this!**_

_Marik looked up, only able to fuel the rage of the god. He knew it was dangerous, but he felt so utterly helpless and weak. He had only one power to offer. It could eventually kill him, but they had a strong chance of dying against Zorc anyway. It was dangerous, but the wrath of the god and his own sorrow had overridden his thinking. He just knew that he would make Zorc pay. He reached his hand up to the god, touching its trashing knee. Understanding, the god went still suddenly and silent, and Marik poured all of his will into the god, giving him his anger as well._

_Instantly the god's form began to change. No longer was he the soft sun that shone over the oasis. No longer was the kind god of the Pharaohs, ever watchful and patient. Now he was the sun beating relentlessly upon the desert, destroying crops and killing the livestock, making the people cry in weariness and pain. He was a wrathful god, though mostly patient. Usually when he got into moods like this Marik could calm him. But not now. Now the god's wrath had finally taken over the young man. His friends would be horrified and surprised to see the look of wrath upon the face of their young friend. How changed he seemed!_

_The god's form changed to that of a great bird, looking much like a phoenix. His body slimmed and no longer shone, but seemed made out of living flame. His tail grew long and his wings longer still. The air seemed charged and Marik's skin burned from being so close. To get back onto the god's shoulder would mean that he would die, no doubt about that. So he stood instead, and began to walk down the hall again. He had only one destination in mind, the end of the hall. _

_Ra followed, bubbling with energy and anger. He would explode soon if he did not get to vent his rage against Zorc. Marik's arms were held loosely at his sides. He wasn't even trying to hold the god back now. His rage was the man's rage as well. It seared across their mental link, and if any of the others felt it, they would have instantly understood why Marik could no longer withstand the wrath and hold the god back. There was a searing hatred there, and in his sorrow he had given into it at last. _

_They reached the end of the hall. Marik barely registered as the others appeared out of the mouths of the other two tunnels that were nearby. He hardly understood that they gasped and called to him, pleading with him to calm the god, or that the other gods approached cautiously. Obelisk make the sound of two rocks shifting slightly during an earthquake, and Slifer made a quiet cat like mewling sound. They were appealing again to the boy. Marik was the only one that could bring Ra again under control. His wrath would be terrible and could destroy much. It was too dangerous to allow the god of Ra to be in such a reckless rage. _

_The next part became harder to decipher, and words were nearly impossible to make out. Whether it was because he had been blind with rage, or because of the curse of Zorc, the boy could hardly make out what they were saying or doing, as if something were trying their hardest to halt the memories completely. However, Slifer decided that perhaps giving the boy some space from the god could calm him and let him regain his senses enough to talk to the god and calm him. Carefully he snatched the boy up and brought him away from the god. That both served to make the wrathful god feel relieved and also more angry. But that anger was directed towards Zorc alone._

_The giant red dragon circled the boy, keeping him firmly away from the golden god, and Obelsik watched Ra carefully. The other two men concluded sadly that the god's rage was because Bakura had died. It was obvious because their number had been depleted by one. But they were also terrified. They had never seen such a terrible wrath in the god! He had always been a good judge of character, and he had taken a special interest in the Thief King. They knew then that there was something rather special about the young man, and the god was taking his loss hard. _

_Slifer turned instead to the boy, looking at him pointedly and in the face. His great mouths were closed though, and he made a deep purring noise to the boy, assuring him that everything was alright. The Pharaoh and priest too were assuring him with words, trying to calm him. They told him that there would be a time to mourn, but this was not that time. Marik could hear the wisdom in their words and tried to talk to the god, but found his way blocked by a wall of anger. It was painful and the guard grabbed his head with a yelp as again the god dived around the room, shrieking with rage and anger. The others could only watch on helplessly. It was obvious that the boy could not calm the god. His rage was too great._

_Then Zorc appeared. The great god of darkness still terrified Marik and when he saw him he felt as if he had no hope within his heart. The god was almost man like in shape, but he stood larger than a pyramid and had horns and terrible teeth, along with claws and another head lower on his waist. His appearance made the gold god shriek in anger and circle more, but he dared not attack yet. He had not lost his caution yet. Zorc laughed at them and at Bakura's death, telling them that he was going to kill them all. The Pharaoh grabbed Marik's shoulders as if he would leap forward to defy the god. Ra however had finally had enough._

_With a shriek of rage unlike any other they had ever heard he dived towards the enormous god. Zorc swatted him away, but again and again the god dove with the same results. He wasn't just going to give up though, and called to the two other gods. They at last knew too that they had to join the battle or watch the world crumble._

_Zorc had been unprepared for the sun god's wrath and tenacity, thinking that the gentler Marik would hold him back. But Marik could and honestly would have done no such thing. He was just as angry with Zorc, and he felt a terrible satisfaction at watching the god become increasingly worried about the attacks of the fiery god of Ra. Obelisk and Slifer then joined the attack as well, and Zorc was surprised to find that he was losing ground. Try as hard as he might, he could do nothing against the other two, not while Ra's invincible form kept diving at him again and again. The fire of rage that surrounded his body made sure that the dark god could do nothing against him. He was forced to take injury and cause none. He didn't dare try and attack the humans either. Even if he did kill them, the gods had been summoned, and that would only serve to make Ra angrier. He didn't need that._

_The humans could only watch as the battle took place, and Marik knew his strength was draining alarmingly fast. He couldn't keep fighting through the god. He would die if he let this continue. He soon collapsed, and though the Pharaoh caught him and called a warning to Ra, he paid no heed. He was going to destroy Zorc and that was that._

_Quickly the humans knew they had to act, or Marik would die and very soon. They prepared the seal they needed to seal Zorc away until someone else could destroy him. They cast the spell, and with the help of the much smaller gods they managed to herd Zorc to where his soul could be sealed. Even Ra stopped his attack then, pouring all of his strength into the seal so that Zorc could not escape. But as the seal was finishing, Zorc began to use a spell of his own, casting it over the humans._

_Marik could never make out what being said, even dreaming, but he knew the curse. It was part of what had been inscribed onto his back, at the top. Under it was the prophecy. This was why he was a tomb keeper, deep underground. Because he was hiding and keeping safe the secrets of 5000 years. He always awoke at this part, when his other self vowed to never forget even though the spell should have wiped his memories until he was reborn, and then it should have taken longer for the spell to lift so he could remember._

* * *

Suddenly though, the dream changed. Marik felt scared, having no clue what was going on. He'd never seen this before. Suddenly he was in a room with three thrones, and another was behind it, taller and grander than the others. A golden light sat hovering in the center throne of the three smaller ones, and then suddenly it began to zoom around the room. It flew right through Marik's chest, and the startled ten year old yelped. But it didn't hurt. It was a warm touch, gentle even.

He felt a presence roar forth in his mind like fire, and he became afraid. But the mind was gentle and patient and soothed away his fears. Slowly the boy calmed and quieted, though he was still unsure of what was going on. He looked around fearfully, and a voice suddenly spoke.

_**Here we are again,** _a terrible voice said. _**Young Marik.**_

"Wh-who are you?" Marik asked, surprised. "Where are you?"

_**Have you not recognized my voice through those memories? **_The voice asked. _**They are indeed memories, of your past life. I cannot show myself until you name me. You know me young Marik, but now you must summon me to your mind.**_

For a while Marik was silent. He couldn't think of anything. Not until suddenly he thought of the dream, and the wrath of the god of the sun. Suddenly he grew terrified. He had been sworn to serve the gods, and that's what he was going to do. But the thought of talking to one terrified him. Again the god calmed him quietly with his mind.

"Y-you're Ra," the boy gasped.

Upon speaking the name, the golden ball zoomed around the room again, then upwards in front of him. From out of that giant golden ball the giant golden dragon formed and slowly dropped down in front of the boy. His legs touched down, and he looked down at the boy. But then he started to make a fond purring noise at the boy and bent his great head down, looking the boy directly in his eyes. Marik froze a moment under those eyes, but there was patience there, and kindness. Slowly Marik reached forward, wondering if he was doing something wrong, and laid his hand on the great dragon's beak. The dragon made a contented purring noise, so Marik started stroking the smooth gold like surface. He was warm, not hot but warm enough to be alive definitely.

That calmed Marik greatly though he didn't understand really why. The god seemed pleased with this fact. In fact Marik could sense this from him through his mind. Marik was very confused and had no clue what was going on, but he wasn't scared anymore. For a while the god just stood there, letting the boy pet him, then he made another soft noise, almost like a chirp. They boy looked up into his eyes again, and he stopped. But his hand remained on the god's face.

_**It has been 5000 years young Marik,**_ the god said. _**Too many years. I must apologize for allowing wrath to control me. It was necessary to defeat Zorc, but it was terrible too, and I should not have made you endure it.**_

"Why are you here though," Marik said, then added, "My lord?"

_**Please just call me Ra young one,** _the god said. _**It grows tiresome to hear lord all the time. But I have come because the time has come again for Zorc to return, and you must again help me, and to destroy him if we can. We once thought he was necessary to ****leave Zorc alive, only sealed away. However we have come to realize that the balance can be maintained without him.**_

"The balance?" Marik asked, confused.

_**Ah perhaps you are still too young,** _the god said. _**But you must prepare and leave. You must find him. **_

"Him?" Marik asked. "Who is he?"

_**You can sense the other mind too, can you not?** _The god asked. Marik paused. He hadn't sensed it because the god's presence blazed so brightly in his mind, but he could sense another mind, a darker mind, but a familiar one all the same.

"I can," Marik replied. "But who is it?"

_**It is your shadow,** _the god replied. _**Your other half. It is part of the curse, and your soul is split now into two ****bodie****s. One is, for the sake of explaining quickly, good and the other bad, though together you are much the same as you once were. Your darker side is searching for you. You won't be able to survive long without him. He is the balance you need. You must go and search for your shadow.**_

* * *

**AN:**

**Kind of a weird place to end this chapter I know, but this chapter is already very long. I hope you enjoyed the read anyway and will continue to support me as I keep writing. I hope this makes sense so far or is at least fun to read.**

**Also keep in mind that this is an alternate story line, so it doesn't really matter about all the back story changes and things because it is not based off the original completely, only very loosely. Anyway, feel free to leave a review below and tell me how you think I did. **


	2. Phase 02: Justice of the Ancients

**AN:**

**Well here we are with chapter two. I kind of left off at an odd place in the last chapter, but this one will be just as odd. Probably. That's what I get for doing an alternate story line. Anyway, I hope you enjoy! This story is fun to write, though a little odd.**

**Also for those wondering, the chapters are called "Phases" because when Marik was born he was held up to the moon to celebrate his birth. But it's also because of another reason that I won't reveal yet because it will be mentioned in the story.**

**Anyway, onto the chapter.**

**END AN**

* * *

Phase 02: Justice of the Ancients

* * *

Marik could only stare, open mouthed, up at the golden god. His shadow? He had no clue what the god meant, but he suddenly felt very self conscious in front of the god. He didn't want to make himself look like a fool, but at the same time he knew that he could probably never look anything but like a fool in front of a creature so old and wise. But then from across his link with the god, he felt amusement roll, and the god then began to laugh. It was in good nature, but Marik still felt ashamed. If the tone of his skin would have allowed him to turn beat red he would have. As it was, he only managed a slight pink tint to his darker skin.

_**I understand young Marik, **_Ra said patiently. **_You are young. You have not remembered. I cannot fault you for that. Take heart. There is much you must learn, but I will be here to teach you. Ask me what you wish, and I will answer if I can._**

Marik felt deeply relieved that the god was so patient with him. For a moment the boy just sat there, trying to decide what he wanted to ask. The god settled down and waited. He didn't move at all. To Marik it seemed that the god would become a statue and sit there all eternity if it pleased Marik to come up with a question to ask. However, the ten year old boy was much too confused to simply sit there and wait. He at last looked up after a long pause.

"What do you mean by my shadow?" the boy asked. The god let out an appreciative chirp.

_**Cutting right to the chase, **_the god said. **_That is what I always liked about you Marik. Your shadow. By this I mean your other half. You have learned the prophecy have you not? Well there is a curse that goes along with it. Zorc wanted to insure that he would have time to gain his strength and be released from his prison again. This has happened already, which is why your dreams call to you so, warning you. But to do this, he had to place a curse upon you, and the other three that were there with you that day. Yes, even Bakura. He made it so that your souls would be unable to rest, an unfortunate turn of events, but one that we must use now that we have it. Until Zorc is defeated you will not be able to go to the spirit realm, but be trapped in a cycle of rebirth. He also however made it so that your souls would be split into two halves. These two halves over these past years have solidified into two separate forms, two separate people. But you are one in the same. You have a shadow Marik, a darker form of yourself. He has been searching for you, because he needs his light, just as you need your darkness. You are not complete alone. So you must find him._**

"But if I need my darkness," Marik said, "Why do we have to destroy Zorc? Doesn't the world need his darkness as well?" the god nodded approvingly at this question.

_**So we thought as well, **_the golden dragon said. **_However we realized even back in the days of ancient Egypt that this was not so. The darkness had existed first, before the light. Every thing in the world is full of darkness, for out of darkness it was spawned. After Zorc was sealed, for two thousand years his presence had completely sealed from this earth. But the world did not grow weaker as we feared, but remained much the same. This proved that we were correct. Even without the darkness, the world no longer needs Zorc. In the same way, one day we will no longer be needed, and will happily fade away into oblivion. The life of an immortal god is trying and tiring. We will be glad when we are gone. Unlike Zorc, we do not take pleasure in the torture of others._**

For a moment, Marik was silent, thinking about this strange information he had been given. It didn't make much sense to him. Then again, he was only a ten year old child standing next to a creature who had been around since the humans were dim enough to understand that there was something there to watch them from above. For a few moments, the boy was silent, then looked up again.

"And my shadow," the boy asked. "Where is he?"

_**He is close, **_the god assured him. **_He has felt my presence much longer and has been searching for you for a long time. For many lifetimes he has been searching, but you were not powerful enough, so I did not come to you. Now however, you are finally strong enough to face this task, and I am here. This is the first time he has come so close though. He is here in Egypt. _**Then the god shook his head sadly and made a sad note in his throat. _**But fate has not been kind to him. Over years of punishment and abuse again and again through many lifetimes, he has grown to be a sullen and bitter creature. I would even go so far as to call him insane. This is part of the reason he searches for you. Because he knows that there is something wrong with himself. He fears the darkness. So you must do everything in your power to love him, and show him love. He is you, but he is not you. It is a difficult concept, I know. But one you must accept. You cannot fear him, no matter how far gone he is. You must fight to keep control over him, for only together can you hold my rage in check.**_

For a moment Marik was terrified at the thought of being part of some insane person he had never met. How was he supposed to love something like that? But suddenly the other mind reared to life in his. He felt from this other mind, a child his own age. But bitterness, rage, hate, sorrow and anguish washed over him. He was crippled by the force of it. Marik too had been abused by cruel people, his own father. But Marik somehow managed to have an innocent forgiveness about him, almost too forgiving. He had never felt hatred towards anything. But this boy was full of it, and Marik suddenly felt the need to reach out and comfort him. Anything would be better than to let that boy feel such anger and pain. They were opposites.

Upon feeling the sympathy and gentle assurances of the other mind, his shadow paused. There was nothing but surprise in his mind. Their minds were dim, hidden from each other. They couldn't hear each other's thoughts like Marik or even his other form could with Ra, but they could still sense each other. Ra seemed to speak to the other mind a moment, and then there was disbelief across their mental link. Then however, Marik felt from the other mind a curiosity.

Mark was just as curious, and they let their minds come together, as closely as they could manage. They sensed each other, and Marik tried his best to comfort the shadow's hurts. He could do little, and he felt sad that he didn't know what to do or say that would help, but he knew he had to try and do something. That seemed to greatly affect the other mind. Marik suddenly felt a need from it, a need to be accepted by someone, anyone. A need to have a comforting presence that understood him inside and out. Marik wanted to give that to him, and when he expressed his willingness to do so, Marik was surprised to feel a possessiveness come across the mental link. He understood it though. That boy had been abandoned too many times, and he needed that comfort. Marik assured him as best he could that he would be there for him, and the god did the same. At last, the other mind seemed to calm and instead simply silently snuggled closer to his for comfort.

The hurt still raged inside of him, but he calmed and it was numbed a little. Marik was quiet for a long time, just silent, letting the other mind lay against his own as a young wolf pup would to its mother or pack mates, seeking comfort. And wolf was the only word he could find for this mind. It was fierce and ferocious. But it had accepted him into his very small circle, and it had become very protective of him. Almost over protective. Even when Marik turned to the god, and his mind turned to the task of speaking and asking questions, the other mind remained there, pressed up against his own for warmth and protection, but also to savagely protect if the need arose. Marik found it a little odd, considering they'd never really met. But it seemed so natural.

"Ra," the boy said, worry filling his gaze. "Will he be alright? He is in so much pain!"

_**He will, **_the god said reassuringly. **_This is good. Your need for each other is mutual. You know that you must be together. You, the lighter side, wish to comfort the darker side and ease its pain. He, the darker side, understands that he must come to you and protect you. Believe it or not, this is a manifestation of how darkness and light works in the real world. That is why there must always be both. He will be fine, and he worries for you as well. But he knows that you are safe now. Both of you can summon me on your own, though it is much easier with both and it is easier on both of you if I decide to appear myself through you. _**

"I can summon you?" the boy asked, startled. The other mind shifted a little until Marik assure him that everything was alright.

_**You can, **_Ra replied._ **I will teach you the words you will need to summon me. Within your dreams you will be able to speak to me, and once you find your shadow and you know each other's names you will be able to speak to one another in your minds as well as in your dreams. You will never truly be separated, just as a person is never separated from themselves.**_

For a long while, Marik was silent. He sat there, listening to the god as he taught him the phrase he would need to say to summon him. Marik listened intently, hardly distracted at all by the other mind that sat there, carefully watching his mind for any signs of his distress. His shadow was so obsessed with keeping watch over him! It was a little odd, but he felt no ill will from it. Only a deep hunger that only he could fill. After his mind was less alert, he again reassured the mind of the other, only to have it nuzzle a little closer. Marik didn't try to push it away.

_**Now you know young one, **_the god said. **_There is more you wish to ask. I know there is. But I have kept you long enough. You should have awoken long ago. I will be there if you have need of me, and your shadow will too. You must soon leave to find him. You cannot stay here any longer. Now awaken and be prepared._**

The god bent down and pushed his beak gently to the boy's chest. There was silence a moment, and then the boy felt warmth. It made him feel safe and comfortable. He wasn't worried at all, and the pain from his back from the branding began to fade away. He felt the other mind shift a little, but he had also sensed the pain, and Marik sensed gratefulness and approval from the other mind. Gently, the other mind snuggled closer to Marik's mind.

* * *

Marik awoke. He felt worried suddenly. He had never known another life. How was he just supposed to leave what he had known for so long? He opened his eyes and sat up, expecting the pain to lance up his back like it had before. But it was nothing more than a dull throb now, and though it was annoying, the pain hardly bothered him anymore. It was if he had went through months of healing in one instant. He also felt the shadow's mind. It had grown more open to him now that he was awake. He could vaguely make out the beginnings of thoughts within that mind.

He looked around the room. Odion wasn't the only other inhabitant of the room now. His true sister, Ishizu had joined him. She wasn't that much older than him, but she was beginning to grow fully into her beautiful womanly form. She had black hair like their mother, and her eyes were a brownish color. She would be a great beauty one day, that Marik knew. He could see Odion, who had added a tattoo on his face, as if to make up for the pain that this little brother was feeling. Ishizu had helped him with this, and they had both been sleeping. Odion and Ishizu were both stirring now, and both awoke. They froze when they saw Marik blinking back at them. Instantly they both sprang up, and Ishizu took her brother's shoulders in her hands gently, afraid of hurting him.

"Marik," she chastised. "You shouldn't be up! You need rest now!"

Suddenly Marik looked at her. He was suddenly terrified of leaving. He might have ended up like his shadow if not for his sister and Odion, who had constantly shown him their love. He had somehow managed to love a gentle and outgoing nature because of this. He grabbed her and hugged her. Ishizu looked down at him in surprise, but then gently hugged him back, not wanting to hurt him. Odion looked just as perplexed. The other mind felt his distress and shifted a little nervously, growing more alert.

"Marik?" Ishizu asked.

"I love you sister," he suddenly said. "And you brother. I just...I needed you to know that." both of them smiled at him reassuringly and patiently, assuming that he had just had a bad dream. But Marik knew it was no dream. He could feel the mind of both is shadow, and the Winged Dragon of Ra.

"It's alright Marik," Ishizu comforted him.

"We're right here," Odion added.

Marik peered up at him. If only they knew the truth of this. It wasn't that they were going anywhere. It was he that would be going away, not them. He suddenly felt a terror, a terror that was born out of the unknown. And he would soon be venturing into it. The shadow in his mind suddenly seemed to be growing more restless, responding negatively to his emotion. But then Marik heard a sound that provided pure and undeniable terror.

His siblings whirled around as the door opened and their father strode in. Marik rarely saw his father in a bad mood, and he was in one now. He had no idea what had brought it on. More than likely it could have been brought on by nothing at all. Marik knew to avoid him in these moods. But now he blocked the only means he had of escape, and he carried his whip with him. This time, he meant business.

Marik let out an involuntary whimper and leaped from the bed, backing away as quickly as he could. The room was small, so his back quickly hit the wall, and there was a pang of pain that rolled through is body, making him yelp quietly. Instantly, both of his older siblings stepped forward to protect him, though they knew that they would surely receive the whip instead if their father was after him. It turned out he was, and his eyes narrowed angrily. Marik was more startled at the shadow's mind however, which now was bristling and growling like a wolf would, all but raging at the fact that he could not come to Marik's aid now.

"Step aside," their father snarled. Usually that would have made his children obey, but now the two older siblings only winced and held their ground.

"Father," Ishizu said with whatever courage she could muster. "I don't know what Marik has done to make you so angry, but you can't just hurt him. He needs rest, or he'll get sick and die. You don't want that do you?"

"I said step aside," he snarled with more anger than before. Marik cowered from him, which made his shadow self even angrier.

"My lord," Odion said, ever a protector of the young boy behind him. "Please, if you're angry feel free to whip me instead. But leave Marik alone. He needs time to heal."

But this only served to make his father even angrier. For whatever reason, he had decided that Marik was the one he wanted to hurt, and that was that. He advanced upon the two older siblings menacingly, growling and lifting his whip. He was going to destroy them if he had the chance, and then they weren't going to get in his way again. Marik was terrified, but he didn't want them to get hurt because of him either. The other mind had turned into some kind of fiend, he wanted to destroy the thing that was causing Marik such fear, and Marik didn't have the nerve at the moment to try and calm him. But then, the god's mind roared to life in his mind again.

Marik felt his strength drop quite rapidly, and almost collapsed. It was nearly too much for the boy, but he managed to keep his feet. His father suddenly looked up in horror as he saw the great god of wrath appear. The creature barely fit within the confides of the room, and he was bent over double just to fit within the confides of the ceiling. One of his massive legs was in front of Marik, protecting him from the man. His siblings and father all turned to the god and fell flat on their faces, trying to appease the god's rage. The god opened its beak and let out an enraged roar that shook the tomb to it's very foundations.

_**Enough, **_the voice in his mind roared. No one else heard it, but no one else had to.

Marik trembled behind the god's leg, reaching forward and touching it gently to reassure himself at the god's presence. He was even warmer now that he was here in the flesh beside him. The boy felt himself relax, and relief poured through his mind. His shadow settled again, pulling itself tighter to his mind but still growling menacingly. Marik suddenly got the impression that his shadow was the one that had asked Ra to come to his aid. But the god's wrath was still real enough. Marik touched the other mind in thanks, and it pulled itself still closer. They were still remote enough that they couldn't sense each other like they could both sense Ra, but the other mind wanted nothing more than to be close.

"M-My Lord Ra," Ishizu gasped. "We apologize. We had no idea that we had somehow gained your displeasure. Please, forgive us, and let the boy come to us. He has done nothing wrong!"

Marik's father seemed to think he'd be fine with letting the god have the boy, but Odion and Ishizu were urging the boy to be quiet and calm. Terror was etched on their faces, but more than their own fear for themselves, they were terrified that somehow they had made the god angry enough to attack the boy. These seemed to please Ra for some reason, but his anger only grew because of the boy's father.

_**Man, **_the god said, looking directly at him. **_You should know better than to harm the vessel of a god. But beyond that, you have been cruel to your wife, your children, and your servants. For this I now seek righteous judgment for their souls!_**

"Wait," Marik suddenly gasped.

He managed to squeeze himself out between the wall and the god's leg and scramble over to stand in front of the god. He didn't think about the fact that it looked rather undignified. He didn't think about the fact that he was now disobeying a god. He didn't think about the fact that he was a ten year old child standing up to an all powerful being, or the fact that he was defending the man who had made his life a living hell. He was only thinking about the fact that this was a living, breathing human being. His older siblings gasped in horror. The shadow's mind was confused but grew more interested in what the god was thinking about the boy. And the god was confused as well. He turned his eyes to Marik, who was breathing heavily, but held his arms out to protect the man.

_**Young Marik? **_The god asked, confused, turning his eyes to the boy.

"P-please forgive him Lord Ra," Ishizu cried, wrongly interpretting the god's interest in him.

"He doesn't know what he's doing," Odion also cried. "He's only a child."

"Stop," Marik cried, ignoring them. He held no fear for the god. "Please! You can't kill him!"

Now confused and utterly transfixed, the other three could only watch with interest, and in the case of his siblings, slight horror. The god bent his great head and touched the boy's forehead. Marik didn't flinch away from the god, and instead stood with determined eyes. He wasn't scared of him at all. After all, why should he be, when the god and he had known each other for such a long time? He hardly remembered it, but he knew it to be true. The god breathed out gently onto the boy's forehead, sending waves rolling through his hair. Marik could feel sheer anger through the god's mind, but he confusion was greater.

_**You would save him? **_The god asked.

"Of course," Marik replied without fear, making his family even more confused. Who was he talking to? When it dawned on them, they still found it hard to believe, and stared at the boy with horror.

_**Even though he would attack you? **_The god asked with rage. **_Even though he made the life of everyone who came near him a living hell? Though he would kill you?_**

"Even so," the boy replied, determined. For a moment, the god was silent.

_**He deserves punishment, **_the god said. **_It is in my power and is my right to give this to him. You do not understand young one. That I can tell. But this is the justice of the ancients. He should perish for the pain he has caused. _**

"But he's a human," the boy cried, making the god pause. "He has a chance to change! Won't you at least give him that chance?"

Again, the god was greatly surprised. Why would the boy defend him so much? He looked to the boy's mind, but found only great love and patience there. Yes, his father had hurt him again and again, but the boy's heart was uncommonly pure. He wouldn't just let the god kill him. He was his father after all, even though he had been a cruel father. The god seemed surprised, but then he let out a gentle chirping noise and a quick purr. He approved. His wings relaxed, and again the great head blew a puff of air across the boy's face. Marik let himself relax a little as his rage dissipated.

_**You are a fool, **_the god said, but without malice. **_But you are a good person. We will need that in the coming battle I think young one. Fine. I will leave him now. He has a chance to change, and I too have a right to give him that chance. However, you must leave now. Turn now to them, and be my voice. They cannot hear me after all._**

Marik nodded and then turned to face his family. He froze to see the absolute terror that was plastered on all of their faces. He'd never wanted to to make them so afraid, and he hated to see their faces look like that. He never wanted to see their fear of him. But more than that, he knew now that he had to leave. He couldn't make them so terrified. He knew that now, they would never see him the same. He wasn't their little brother anymore. How could he be. But he looked up towards the god again, telling him he was ready to proceed. Upon feeling his distress, the shadow snuggled closer, growling as comfortingly as he could. The god's wings folded a little as he let out a growl and raised his head. His eyes bore straight into the offending man.

_**You have angered me, **_the god said. **_Tell them that the only reason he still lives is because of you, and he would do well to remember that. _**Then the god let out a low growl. _**However tell him that if he ever thinks of harming the vessel of a god again then he will not be so lucky.**_

Marik shuddered a little at the anger in the god's voice, but then told his father what he had been told from the god. They stared at him in horror, uncomprehending what he was saying. How on earth could he be the vessel of an Egyptian god? The boy they had known for so many years? They stared at him as if they had never met him before, and it hurt Marik. He knew that he had to go, at least for Ishizu and Odion. He could never let them fear him. It was for them that he would leave. He loved them too much to cause them such confusion and fear ever again.

"You are the vessel of an Egyptian god?" his father asked in terror, hardly more than a whisper.

"Yes," the boy answered.

"And you speak to Ra?" Odion asked just as quietly.

"Yes," the boy said, feeling saddened and angered. The shadow's mind snuggled closer, and Marik almost felt now as if he really were right beside him.

"How long have you-" Ishizu asked, never finishing her sentence. Marik didn't mind. He didn't want to answer. His lips pressed into a tight line.

_**Now, **_the god said a little gentler. **_Do not be afraid Marik. Tell them what I say now._**

"He says," the boy said, a perplexed look entering his face as he looked up at the god. "that I will be leaving. Now. He wants me to go, because he says that I have been chosen. I have to go while I can."

"Ha," his father suddenly laughed. "That runt chosen? Why have the gods chosen him?"

At this, the god grew indignant and roared again, shaking the tomb in his anger at the man. The three humans cringed under the dragon's great wings as they beat a little against the walls, threatening to collapse the ceiling. The god was mindful of this however, and never struck hard enough to injure anyone within the room. Marik noticed that the other mind however relaxed a little at the god's anger, knowing that no harm would come to the boy.

_**Foolish mortal, **_the god screeched. **_I have chosen him because of his nature! Nothing more! Do not test me! Tell him this young one._**

"Father," Marik said, as the great god settled and continued to growl menacingly. "He says that he chose me for a reason that you have forgotten. He won't say more now, but he advises you not to test him again. He also says that I am to leave, and that if anyone tries to stop me he will kill them. I'm sorry, but I have to go." The god snapped his jaws together for good measure, and to emphasize his point.

"Fine," his father squeaked in terror. "Fine! Just get out of here then!"

Seeming satisfied, the great god disappeared again. The three humans scrambled to get out of his way as Marik fled the room as quickly as he could. He took nothing with him. He didn't need it. He just knew that he had to get away, and fast. He didn't want to be here any longer than he had to be. He hated that they were so terrified of him, but he knew too that this had given him the chance and the reason he needed to finally leave. He might not have had the strength otherwise.

No one came after him. No one tried to stop him. So he reached the great cellar like doors and pushed them open. Ra's fiery orb above flamed brightly, and he hid his eyes against its wrath a moment. But soon his eyes had adjusted to it, though he hadn't adjusted to the heat.

He felt the other's mind pulling sharply on him then on pure instinct, and suddenly he felt joy. He'd finally find the piece of himself that he had been missing. He'd get to go see him! They would be together at last! He was sad to leave his family behind, and afraid of the task that was ahead of him, but he needed to find that other mind. At the same time, he felt the other moving to meet him as well. There was no stopping them now. Marik turned and made his way towards the village that he could see in the distance, knowing that he had to find his other half. He ran on through the sands, and Ra's mind watched over both children as they ran to find their missing soul mate.

* * *

**AN:**

**So what did you think? I thought it was a nice touch to have Marik's cruel father groveling in terror before the wrathful god of Ra. I thought it added a bit. I never liked him anyway. XD**

**So I hope you enjoyed that chapter. In this next chapter we'll get to meet Marik's other half and figure out what's going on with him. Then we'll have a little bit of a time jump (about seven years) to where the rest of the story begins. I will explain a little of what happened in that time, but there's not going to be much so I'm skipping it to getting to the point where we'll be meeting the other main characters.**

**Hope you'll keep reading and supporting me!**


	3. Phase 03: Hardened Heart

**AN:**

**Here we go again. This is odd for me to update so soon in such a short amount of time, but I love this story, and I felt like it needed an update. Besides, I felt like it was necessary to start getting this story moving. This story sounds a lot like "Vessel of the Egyptian Gods" and I didn't mean for it to be. I hope it's different enough. I wouldn't want to steal someone else's ideas. But I'm pretty sure they're different enough.**

**Note: In this story Marik is more gentle and innocent that he would normally be. The reason for this is because he is the perfect light, where his shadow is the perfect dark. Since I was making his shadow self have such a dark personality, I needed to balance it with a much lighter one. I hope that makes sense. Also, I know it makes Marik a little OC-ish but it couldn't be helped. :/**

* * *

**Shout outs!**

**Thanks to Wild Vivid Imagination for being the first to favorite and leave a review! I have no idea why it doesn't have anymore reviews yet, but I'd love to see more. Thanks for liking the story and saying its awesome, even though the fantasy part of it might have made some people not want to read it. Thanks for your support, and I'll definitely continue! **

**Thanks too for a favorite from YuGiOhRox, who wrote that awesome story "Vessel of the Egyptian Gods". And thanks for the follow too! Thanks for liking the dream sequences. It's alwayas fun to write about what characters are dreaming about. I'll try not to get stuck and steal anything from your story, but I'm glad you understood that I wasn't stealing anything from your story. XD Thanks too for your review of chapter two! I'm glad that you liked that the shadow has developed such a close bond already. And yes, I'm aware that Ishizu's eyes should be blue. I just decided to change it, and I'm not entirely sure why. o.o**

* * *

**Anyway, we can get on to the chapter now. Thanks to anyone who actual reads the Author's Notes. **

**END AN**

* * *

Phase 03: Hardened Heart

* * *

Marik wasn't sure where he was going, only that he had to get there. The streets were crowded and dirty, and people pushed and shoved on their way to get anywhere. It had taken Marik a long time to get to the village he had seen, and no one had come after him. He hadn't expected they would. The god had threatened them with their lives if they had. Now the heat of the day had passed, and he realized the sun would set soon. The god assured him again and again that he was perfectly safe with him and that nothing bad would happen, even if he had to appear and scare everyone away. But that's not what had made Marik so nervous. He could sense the mind of his shadow, growing more and more distressed. Obviously something was happening that he wasn't too aware of.

As Marik was walking through the crowded market however, two police officers suddenly strode forward. They shoved people out of the way as they did so, looking at Marik. He paused, confusion lighting up his eyes, but he didn't try to run. What did he have to hide from the police anyway? Well besides the fact that he had been reincarnated into two different bodies and he was holding an almost constant conversation with an Egyptian god? Upon seeing him not run, they seemed to doubt themselves, and one leaned down in front of the boy, grabbing his shoulder so he wouldn't bolt and looking at him. Marik blinked into his face.

"You think it's him?" the one still standing asked.

"No," the one peering into his face replied. "The face is different. This one looks like a normal kid, not some beast. Besides, the hair's different and the eyes are a lighter color."

"It's odd though that they would look so alike," the first said, a little unnerved.

"You're right," the second said. "It is."

"Excuse me sir," Marik said, completely confused. "But what's going on?" The two officers looked at each other a little guiltily.

"Nothing," the first at last said. "There's just some criminal on the lose."

"Don't worry," the second said with a smile. "We'll catch him really quick. Go on home now before you get hurt alright?"

Marik nodded, and the men left, satisfied and continuing their search. Marik of course had no intention of returning home. There was something else he had to do. He felt concern again as he felt the distress of his shadow. Ra must have told him what had just happened, because he nervously pulled his mind closer to Marik's. Marik just assured him that he was alright, which did little to calm the boy.

_They're looking for someone who looks like me, _Marik said.

_**Yes, **_the god instantly replied. **_For your shadow to be precise. It can't be anyone else, because you should look alike more than likely. It would make the most sense in fact for the two of you to be nearly identical, though as you can tell there will be differences._**

_And that's why he's so nervous? _Marik asked. _Because they're looking for him? What happened?_

_**I believe, **_the god said. **_That he did something to gain their displeasure. I am not entirely sure what. But it cannot be helped. He is not of his right mind. However, he does worry that you will be hurt because of him. You must use this to help keep him under control. He does not care what happens to himself, but for you he might control himself._**

Marik paused, not entirely sure what the god could mean by that. But Ra left again to speak to his shadow more, which seemed to calm the boy a little bit. He wouldn't get a chance to ask the god for a while, but he was glad to notice that he calmed a little. Marik sent him as many reassuring thoughts as he dared, then continued walking through the streets.

He noticed suddenly how some men and women were staring at him. Yes, he was only a child, but he was already unnaturally pretty. It was odd how beautiful he was. It made him very self conscious. He hated how pretty he was. He hated the stares it got him, like he was some piece of meat that could be owned for their amusement. For now, he was only a child. They mostly ignored him and didn't bother him. In a few years he would be something they lusted after, but now he was too young. Marik wished he could hide his face suddenly.

He tried to avoid the stares of those sitting at the edge of the street, and because of this he almost ran into someone. He looked up and noticed a group of people gathered around, men and women. They seemed nervous, and they were talking together about something. He drew in closer and listened to what they were saying.

"It's terrible," a woman lamented. "Nine people were murdered!"

"At the same time though," a man said. "they were all known to be murderers themselves. Maybe they just bit off more than they could chew."

"Are you saying this is okay?" another man cried.

"No," the first said. "not at all. It's just that it seems a little odd don't you think?"

"You know what I heard?" another woman asked. "I heard that it was a child that killed them all."

"Impossible," a third woman cried. "A child couldn't manage something like that!"

"I heard the kid's insane though," another man in the crowd said.

"Keep your voices down," a woman warned.

Suddenly though a young lady turned around. She was old enough to be his older sister, and he suddenly felt a pang of regret for what he had been forced to leave behind. She gasped as she saw him and ran to him, grabbing his wrist and pulling him away from the group of people then. She looked behind her, then back at him sternly but gently as well.

"How much did you hear?" she demanded gently. "That's not something for a child to hear!"

Marik looked down as if abashed. But really his mind was racing rapidly. They were looking for someone that looked like him. That had to be his shadow. And they were looking for him because he had killed nine murderers. That's why his mind was filled with such worry and he was so nervous. He didn't want Marik to get hurt because of him. He felt more worry from the shadow as he noticed Marik's concern grow more. That wolf like mind nuzzled closer to his, and it was growing stronger. He was getting closer now. Marik nuzzled him back, assuring him that he was fine.

Marik was sure there was a chance that more of those murderers were running about, friends of those that had been killed by his shadow. He wasn't sure why he had felt the need to kill them, but he had. He knew that he had to find his shadow and quickly, before they did.

"Where are your parents?" she asked.

"They're at home," Marik replied, not untruthfully. But then he lied. "They sent me to go shopping today."

"No," she said sternly. "You won't be shopping today. You'll go straight home. It's dangerous. And don't you dare go near the south side."

"I won't," Marik lied, knowing that the south side was exactly where he needed to go.

He had heard enough from the market to figure out that the south side was in front of him. So he turned as if he was hurrying home and went the other way. For a long while, he was sure the girl was watching him, but Marik didn't have time to be stopped by her again. He followed the long streets, guided by the mind of his shadow. As he got farther away their contact grew farther apart as well. Then as he at last found an emptying street and made his way towards the south side again it began to grow stronger once again.

The sun had set by the time he had managed to make it into the south side. He began to grow understandably nervous. There were several figures that wouldn't hesitate to grab a lone child at night. And even he knew this, though he had never set foot outside of the tomb until today. Still, he followed his link with his shadow self into the darkest parts of this town.

There was silence, but he noticed that his other self had suddenly grown much more alert. He paused a moment, wonder at that. Then he felt someone grab him around the waist and clamp their other hand around his mouth. They were small, though taller than him. He felt fear for a minute, but suddenly the link with his other mind was strong, and he felt reassuring thoughts coming from it. Suddenly he realized who it was who had just grabbed him. He relaxed, and noted that the other mind relaxed as well. The other boy lifted him easily off of the ground and carried him back into the place where he had been hiding. Carefully, he sat the boy down, and Marik turned to look at the other boy.

His shadow truly did look like him. They looked almost similar enough at first glance to be twins. Only a closer inspection of their faces would reveal that they weren't related at all. He had the same caramel colored skin, though he had lots of muscles, most likely because he'd had to learn to grow up fast. His eyes were darker, a violet color instead of his own bright lavender. His hair was the same color, but it was spiked up into some great mane. But instead of reminding him of a lion, he reminded him of a wolf still. The hair made him look as if he was always bristling, and there was a hungry, haunted look in the boy's eyes. But also there was a ferocious side that was carefully held in check now that Marik was here. The boy had blood on his shirt, and as he saw Marik looking, he shied away, as if afraid of spooking him. But Marik was unafraid and reached out.

"Are you hurt?" he asked. "You're not hurt are you?"

Marik's fingers gently brushed the boy's chest, and he was almost sure he felt him fighting himself to not run or fight the boy away. Everything that had happened had made the boy's nature very wolf like. But he held himself carefully in check for the boy. He couldn't hide, even across their mental link, the great confusion he felt. He only felt kindness and concern from the boy. They could hide nothing from each other. The taller, stronger boy looked down at his lighter half, realizing that it would be very easy to kill him if he wanted to. But the thought made him uneasy and sick. He could never do that. He let the boy's gentle hand remain on his chest.

"No," he replied quietly. "I'm fine."

Marik looked up and met his gaze. Again, the shadow froze, unsure. He had never before seen someone who could meet his eyes without fear in their own. He knew quite well that his own face had quite a sinister look to it. But Marik could sense that he was worried about him. Actually worried about him. Marik paused a moment as he felt the boy's mind waver a little. And then he grabbed Marik.

It was a little rough, and it hurt his back a little. But he just winced a little and hugged him back. He knew that he needed it, though he wasn't exactly sure why. Not entirely at least. The taller boy leaned down, burying his nose into the boy's neck. Marik was unsure of the contact. He'd never been held by anyone like this. There was something possessive about it. But he was very still and didn't pull away. That seemed to reassure his shadow a little bit.

For a long minute the wolfish boy was quiet, just breathing in his scent, as if he really was some type of animal and was trying to memorize it. Marik didn't really feel comfortable with that thought, but he felt the god watching them. The god let emotion wash over the two of them. He wasn't just alright with that, he was encouraging the strange relationship to blossom. Marik decided that if the god was alright with it then he didn't have anything to fear from his shadow. Strange though he may be, Marik couldn't deny that he was glad to find him. It's like he had found some part of himself that he had been missing. And he was glad to not be alone anymore.

"What's your name?" Marik asked quietly.

The wolfish boy looked up at him. His eyes met his. Their eyes were distinctively different. Marik's were big, round and beautiful like that of a child or innocent person. But they were deceptively so as well, because though Marik had a good heart he was not perfect and he knew cruelty. But his shadow's eyes were cruel. It was if he had never known any kindness at all. That wasn't quite true, but it seemed impossible that people that were such opposites would be so drawn to each other. Marik didn't flinch under those dark eyes.

"It's Mariku," the boy replied.

Marik looked up at him. He was a little surprised that their names were so similar. He felt the other mind grow brighter to him. Mariku paused a little, then looked down at Marik. There was something expecting in those eyes. Ra's mind nudged Marik gently, encouraging him on.

"My name is Marik,"

Their bond suddenly flared greatly, and they both flinched a little under it. Then they were surprised to find that they could tell every single thought that flowed between the two of them, and every single emotion. Even if they didn't speak any words, they were bonded closer than even the most intimate of lovers could ever hope to be. Because their minds were linked in such a way.

They let their minds touch, gentle with each other, careful and a little scared too. Marik found that Mariku's mind was more like a wolf's than he had first thought. It crept towards him, cautiously as the creatures might have when they first ventured into man's dens to warm themselves by the fires. He touched Marik's mind carefully, afraid of spooking him, but also afraid of him. Marik was just as gentle, but more friendly in his advances. He reached forward slightly and let their minds touch. But there were only comforting thoughts from Marik's mind, and Mariku forgot his fear.

Marik was aware of the boy's arms around his waist, pulling their hips together. It was a gentle touch, very careful, almost hesitant. But it was a clear sign that the boy wanted him right there. He didn't want to let him go at all. Marik felt wonder in his mind suddenly at the extent which he realized that the boy really needed him. It was if he would die without him, so deep was the hole that he needed to fill. Then, to his utter amazement, he felt the dull flickering of amusement through the boy's mind, and his lips attempted to pull into a slight smile.

Then Ra sent the two of the a warning suddenly. Mariku pulled Marik away from him and then shoved him behind him. The wolfish boy then began to snarl and bristle, suddenly living up to his beast like looks. Three men appeared, and Marik had to force himself not to whimper. His fear however was instantly noted by Mariku, who snarled more and faced the three of them without fear. There was something about these men, something calculating that made Marik want to crawl into himself and never come back. Mariku, though he was much smaller, made them pause. There was something far more fierce in him, from being forced to become how he was now in only a few years. He had no childhood to speak of, and he had very very little to lose.

"What's this?" one of the men asked, noticing Marik. "Your girl friend?"

The men laughed at the insult, that hardly mattered to Marik. They could have called him a dog if they wanted to, but he didn't want them anywhere near him. And it was obvious from Mariku's mind too that he didn't want them anywhere near him either. The men were obviously encouraged on by the thought that the crazy boy was now trying to protect something. They thought it would make him more vulnerable. But if they could have sensed Mariku's mind they would have found this to be the opposite case. More than ever he wanted to kill them. He was more dangerous than ever to his enemies now that he felt like he had to protect Marik.

_Be careful, _Marik warned in his mind.

_Stay behind me, _was Mariku's response to him.

Marik was too terrified to do anything but listen to him. The three men advanced upon them, and Mariku backed up into Marik. Marik grabbed his arm, staring up at them with wide eyes. He might have doubted Mariku's ability to take them all, but for a few things. For one, his mind was filled with nothing but a need to kill. To him, these people were little more than meat. They didn't matter. They could burn for all he cared. His instincts were honed to Marik's mind. Every little thing he noted put Mariku on high alert. It was as if he was the only thing in the world that mattered to the boy at all. And also, there was a morbid sort of spirit in this, like it were a sport. And this was a game that Mariku was not going to lose.

Marik hadn't been aware that Mariku had a knife on him. He hadn't been aware at first that Mariku had moved, until he shoved him back onto his butt and then launched at the other three men. They weren't expecting this tenacity. It had been bad enough before when he had killed their friends in rapid succession one by one, but this was just insane! He was attacking three grown men! So great was the surprise of the men, and so terrible was Mariku's ferocity, that the battle was over before it had hardly begun. And to Marik's slight discust, he licked the blade clean of the blood that was on it.

Mariku really was like a beast, Marik decided. He didn't care much for people. They had never cared for him. So he treated them like they were little more than cattle. He suddenly felt that he never wanted to be the receiver of that blade if he ever turned it against him. Marik had forgotten that Mariku could hear all of his thoughts now. Mariku seemed to wilt a little under his gaze. Marik remebered himself and pushed the fear out of his mind. He slowly stepped forward and touched Mariku's arm.

"It'll be alright," Marik purred. "I'll get used to you. I promise. You just have to give me a little time. Trust me."

Marik could tell that Mariku had never trusted anyone other than the god that had always whispered patiently into his ears. He looked at Marik strangely a moment. But they could hide nothing from each other. Marik knew that Mariku trusted him, even though he wasn't sure how. He knew that Mariku didn't have to say anything. Marik nodded and took Mariku's wrist in his hand, then turned and dragged him through the streets after him. They both knew they had to leave or they would get caught.

_What do we do now? _Marik asked the god.

_**You must find the other three, **_Ra replied. **_It will take time and effort, but I will be with you. They will be worried about you. My presence has only just touched this world truly after so many years. They will not be sure what this means. But we must travel on to the others. They have known of our fight for longer than you, but they know less of it, for you are the keeper of the prophecy. Not even the gods know what the true prophecy is. So you must find them. Without you we will fail, and alone you will fall. They are waiting._**

_But waiting where? _Mariku asked, his patience wearing thin.

**_I do not know young one, _**Ra replied, as patient as ever. **_However when we grow closer to the other gods I will know then. They will not notice me at first, because there are two of them and one of me. My presence will be hidden from them for a while. That will allow the two of you the time you need to prepare to meet them. But I will lead you to them when we draw close. Have no fear._**

Mariku grumbled a little bit, but it was obvious to both Marik and the god that he wasn't satisfied with that answer. The god let out an amused laugh, and the two children ran on. Marik knew that most people would be frightened and hiding now, but he still had to worry about the cops. Luckily they saw none, and Marik quickly led Mariku out of the town.

They both paused to catch their breath, breathing hard. Ra was urging them to keep running. If they stopped now they would be caught, and they didn't need that. But then Marik paused and looked up as he heard someone call his name.

He was stunned to see one of his father's servants running towards him. She smiled patiently as she had always done, and even though Mariku bristled at her and snarled it didn't seem to phase her at all. She had always been a loyal one to his mother, and thus to his sister as well. She didn't seem to care about the angry god that was now getting ready to kill her. Instead, she ran right over and kneeled in front of him.

"Sorry my Lord," she said. "But your sister didn't want you to go away just yet."

"I have to go," Marik said, nervously aware of both Mariku and Ra.

"I know," she replied. "And I'm not here to stop you. I came to give you this. Your sister has control of the Millennium Necklace. You know this. So you also know that she can see the future. And she saw that I must give you this."

She opened the small bag she was carrying, and pulled out the Millennium rod. Marik knew it well. It had been carried by the Priest in his dreams. Marik silently took it, looking at it. He felt the god's rage suddenly ebate and disappear in interest. He too had accepted her strange gift. She glanced behind her, as if scared that she had been followed. He understood why. If his father found out she'd given his son a Millennium Item...

"You must go now," she said. "I can't stay. Be safe. Watch over yourself."

With that, she stood and turned away, disappearing again over the constantly shifting sands of Egypt. There was little Marik could do but watch after her. He had no idea why it was important, but he knew he was grateful to have the rod in his hands. Mariku looked at the Rod with interest, and then turned away.

"You keep a hold of it," he said. "It would be safer in your hands anyway. Besides, the power to control minds isn't something that should be used lightly."

Marik was a little surprised, but he also suddenly felt proud of Mariku. He had shown enough self control in that instant to allow the more morally strong of the two to take such a powerful object. Ra too was proud of him for the same reason. Mariku's face suddenly flushed a little with color, and he looked down. Now he was the one to grab Marik's wrist and drag him after him into the hot desert sands. But for the first time in a long time, Marik knew that Mariku didn't feel so utterly alone. And Marik knew how much a blessing that could be.

* * *

**So what did you think? I hope you enjoyed the chapter. It was a bit of an odd one, but it introduces Mariku's character (which is Marik's shadow) and also shows why Ra considers him insane, at least a little. Perhaps without morals would be a better definition, but then again, he might have a little more insanity mixed in there as well. Who knows?**

**Anyway, feel free to tell me how you think I did below. Constructive criticism always helps. And in the next chapter we'll have about a seven year time skip so we can get to actually meeting the other main characters of the story. **


	4. Phase 04: Talk with a Thief

**Hello and here we are again! Some people whose stories I like have been faithfully sending me feedback about my story and telling me that they like it, which is awesome!**

* * *

**So I'm giving both of you a shout out! You know who you are! XD**

**Also a shout out to DSDreamGirl491 for dropping a favorite!**

* * *

**Anyway, in this chapter, there will be a seven year time skip. I'll kind of explain what happened during that time, as well as explain the fact that Marik and Mariku are now dating. Which is kind of odd. They also start to form their little plan on how they're going to meet up with the others, because they run straight into Ryuo and Bakura who haven't recognized them yet, though they're suspicious of who they could be. **

**I hope you enjoy and will keep on reading. Also feel free to leave a review below.**

* * *

Phase 04: Talk With a Thief

* * *

Mariku growled a little. Not exactly in a literal sense, but his mind growled and snarled much like a wolf. This of course, was a sound that Marik was accustomed to. If he didn't hear it, he assumed that something was wrong. Their minds had at one point had such different languages that it was hard to interpret what exactly was meant when they didn't speak in their minds. So instead of forcing the already unstable young man to adapt to his, Marik had turned around and learned Mariku's mind language. Now he was more wolf like himself, only a much gentler wolf. Mariku's gratitude to the boy had been immediate, and he had grown even closer and fonder of his soul mate. If he was willing to leap such great distances for him, then he would do anything for Marik.

Any others who would have heard the growl would have grown nervous. But Marik could speak Mariku's language. He had grown up in such a way that he couldn't whine to express joy or pant. He always growled. But there were many different growls. This one for example, was a gentle growl that he reserved only for Marik, a growl of greeting, a tender sound. It was the closet thing that Mariku got to showing affection. He only showed any affection to Marik, and he guarded the boy jealously. But there was a reason for that.

Over the seven years that the two of them had been together, Marik had become a beautiful young man. He wasn't beautiful in the sense a girl would be, but never the less, he was beautiful. On the run since he had been ten, he had developed some muscle, though Mariku would probably always have more than he would. He was just of a thinner build. He had grown taller, though the caramel color of his skin had never left him and his eyes were older now, not so innocent. He had a body though that was everyone's dream of a perfect boy friend. Which of course, made Mariku even more possessive and protective over him than normal.

Mariku had grown as well. He was still taller than Marik, which slightly wider shoulders and a build that made him a much better fighter. They both wore the eye liner that Marik had worn as a child in Egypt though. It was too much a part of his life to let go. Mariku had become a handsome young man, and sometimes Marik felt embarrassed that he was beautiful instead of handsome like he should have been. Which of course made Mariku instantly reassure the boy and growl to him in his gentle manor, telling him that he thought him perfect.

It was obvious to both of them. They shared every little thought that flowed between their minds. It had been an annoyance at first, but neither one could imagine their lives without the constant thrum of the other's mind in the back of their heads. It was reassuring. So when Mariku began to develop feelings of love for Marik, and then Marik couldn't help but develop feelings back, it came as no surprise to anyone. Yes, Mariku wasn't exactly normal. There was something wrong deep down psychologically with his brain. But that didn't stop Marik from loving him. Marik knew the real him. And for Marik, Mariku would do anything, even interact with people. He hated people.

For seven years they had been running, trying to get away from the police who wanted to catch Mariku. They had managed to slip out of Egypt, and then from there made their way up into Asia. It took a long time. But after a while they had managed to hide in Asia. There they learned several different languages and even attended school for a time, though they left when Mariku had gotten too aggressive towards one of Marik's suitors. They were smarter than they should have been at their age though, because over the years the memories of their past lives had resurfaced then and they had been able to learn quickly and efficiently. They picked up other languages as well.

From there, they had managed to make it to Japan, where they had originally though to pause and try and figure out where they were going. It was there though that Ra announced, finally, that he had found the presence of the other two gods here in Japan. They had traveled for about a year until at last they had found the place where their presence was strongest.

They were looking now into the quiet halls of an average Japanese High school, where they should have been attending school if they had been in school. It had taken quite a lot of time just to figure out where they were. It was the heat of the day, just before school would let out. The neighborhood was quiet. No one was out at this time because the older men and women were at work and the kids were in school. The two of them had been staring up at the school, thinking of how to best get to where they could speak with the others. It seemed they were about the same age after all. But doing it was becoming increasingly difficult, not to mention the fact that they had to do so without arousing suspicion.

That was when Mariku had grown increasingly fidgety and then turned to Marik. He had let out the gentle growl, and then walked up behind the smaller boy. Marik felt his arms wrap around his waist and pull him back against his hips. Mariku's chin laid down on top of Marik's shoulder, and the wolfish boy seemed upset. Marik understood why. He didn't like people, and he had barely put up with everyone at the other school because they needed to. He didn't particularly want to do it again. He would though, because he knew that he couldn't protect Marik alone and he was curious about the others that they had shared their past with. But he wasn't going to like it. So he was nervous.

He pulled Marik close and breathed in his signature scent. He knew it anywhere. Something that only he could manage, though his nose wasn't good enough to quite detect what it was. He did note though that Marik shivered a little as the cold metal on his arm touched his bare midriff. They had the same basic style. Too look more normal they had changed their clothes. Marik had been uncomfortable with it, but Mariku had insisted it would help disguise them so he had agreed. Both had gold on. The golden jewelry they wore spoke of their past, because they had both been Egyptian. They wore several large bangles on their wrists, going almost up to their elbows, and they had several gold chokers that were the same way, as well as a single gold bangle on both of their upper arms. They also both wore the same type of earrings, a sort of diamond shape and rather large. This, the eyeliner, and their natural skin tone gave them a very exotic look. Then, there was the complete wardrobe change.

It was this that had caught Marik so off guard. Mariku wore khaki cargo pants, which seemed to somehow look ridiculous on anyone else but him. He also wore a tight black shirt with no sleeves. Then there was Marik. Marik had gone for blue jeans, but it was his shirt that made him feel uncomfortable. He was wearing a light purple top that had a small hood on the back. It had no sleeves and hung a little loosely because it was short, where it exposed his midriff, and also where he could not hide the fact that he in fact did have abs. As gentle and happy go lucky he seemed to be, as approachable as he was, it didn't seem like that personality particularly fit with that kind of body. This had always somewhat conflicted Mariku. He didn't want others to see Marik's body exposed like that because the boy was his. But at the same time, he liked to see it because even he had to admit he was greatly attracted to the boy.

These thoughts flickered quickly through Mariku's mind, and then he seemed to shake out of them and just pulled Marik closer. He was aware of how uncomfortable Marik was with his body. He again quickly reassured the boy that he was perfect and then nuzzled closer. Marik let his racing thoughts calm and reached up, laying his hand on the side of Mariku's face. He heard the wolfish mind give out a contented growl, and he couldn't help but smile a little.

"You know we have to," he said gently.

"I know," Mariku replied. They could speak through their minds but they were trying to look normal. "But I still don't like it."

"I'm sorry," Marik said, and truthfully he was. Before he had been scared what that Mariku would hurt others, but now he knew how Mariku really was and was more worried for his already fragile mind. With as tough as Mariku was, his mind was rather breakable. Mariku noticed the train of though and assured the boy he would be fine. He hated worring Marik almost as much as he hated him getting hurt.

"I'll do fine," Mariku said. "If you're there with me I can do anything."

"I know," Marik replied with a smile. "But you still can't try to beat up everyone who takes any interest in me. You have to act at least somewhat normal. I know you hate it, but you can't just kill everyone who looks at me. They're going to look."

"Well what do you suggest I do?" Mariku growled. "You're mine."

"I know that," Marik assured him. "And you know that. We'll just say that you're my boyfriend. It's already close enough to the truth. I just hope the others won't react strangely to that idea. It's kind of weird thinking that I'm in a sense dating myself."

Mariku was quiet a moment, and Marik noticed that he was thinking about it. He didn't want to make Marik uncomfortable. That was his main concern. But at the same time he knew that it would calm him a lot, knowing that most of the advances people made on Marik would be negated because of that. But he was also worried because he knew that entering a high school would mean that they would be separated from each other in different classes, and he worried that Marik wouldn't be able to protect himself. A little annoyed as well as amused, Marik gave Mariku a quick peck on the cheek.

"It's alright," he said. "It'll be fine. I can protect myself if push comes to shove. Besides, you're the only one who really gets me. As if I could ever love anyone else. If I can't handle it, I'll come find you. But only if I can't handle it. I'll be fine. And..." Marik paused a little, a blush suddenly touching his face. He didn't have to say that he'd always wanted to call Mariku his boyfriend.

Mariku smiled a little. It was a very gentle smile, and Marik was the only one who could manage to get that smile out of him. Marik was the only human he'd ever trusted in a long time though. He worried constantly over Marik because of that. But Marik had some backbone, and he wasn't afraid to fight back, though truthfully he'd rather not. Still, the thought eased Mariku's mind a little. He turned his thoughtful eyes back towards the school again, noting that a single student had looked out the window. He looked away, not seeming to think anything of the two of them since they had been outside of the gate and were turned mostly away from the school to avoid suspicion. They looked like a couple just trying to get away for a moment, and their exact age was hard to decipher by just looking. For all he knew they could be college students.

"Well what are we going to do when we meet them?" Mariku asked.

"They'll recognize us," Marik replied. "There's no doubt about that. But you know as well as I do that they're still after us."

He didn't have to say who they were. They were unknown men and women, shrouded in black cloaks. They had been following them closely since they had left Egypt. There was no doubt in their minds that they were followers of Zorc. They had been trying to herd the two of them away from the others for a long time. They didn't want them to find them. They had even tried to separate Marik from Mariku. Several of them died because of this. Mariku was having none of that.

Mariku's mind gave a soft but savage growl at the thought, and he pulled Marik closer. Marik was quiet and let him. They both knew that there was something wrong with the fact that they were being specifically targeted. Even Ra said it was odd at how much they were being followed. They had both decided that the reason was because Marik was the keeper of the prophecy. It had been carved into his back, and though Marik had taught it to Mariku, it was he that he wanted. Suddenly reminded of the carved design on his back, Mariku pulled the back of Marik's shirt down though it covered it. He growled, a far more savage snarl, thinking of the man who had done it to him.

Marik ran his hand quickly through Mariku's hair without thinking about it. Instantly the boy seemed to calm. For whatever reason, that seemed to do the trick. It seemed to Marik that the bristling wolf relaxed a little, and the fur settled down its back as he repeated the gentle motion, carefully calming the wolf. Mariku let out a little bit of a sigh, and it seemed the anger had passed.

"Yes," Marik said. "They're still after us. And they'll try harder than ever to keep us from talking to them. But we can't let that phase us. We have to keep pushing through. Besides, we're not alone now. We'll have to be careful. We'll just pretend that we don't know anything. At least for a while. We don't want to be too suspicious in our advances."

"I know," Mariku said quietly. He looked up as the final bell rang. "They'll be leaving school soon. Come on. We should go."

With that, Mariku released Marik, though not completely. He seemed really unnerved, and so he grabbed Marik's wrist and tugged him along gently after him. Marik didn't try to pull away. He knew exactly what Mariku was thinking, and he understood that he was upset. He just followed him, somewhat like a little puppy being led around on a leash. Marik sent Mariku a mental image of a huge wolf dragging a little puppy around on a leash, which amused both of them greatly for a moment. But then Mariku tugged Marik into a park.

They sat down on a bench there, hoping to not look to suspicious. There they just sat, running through the ideas they could come up with in their heads. It wouldn't be easy to get into the school. Think of all the documents they'd have to forge and get passed just to be able to enter the school! They didn't have any idea where to begin. Without thinking about it, Marik laid his chin on top of Mariku's shoulder. It was perhaps because of this, that they didn't draw much attention as another oddly similar looking couple entered the park.

They both were very pale, almost as white as the puff of white hair that sat atop their heads, and both had blue eyes. One though was taller, with more severe eyes and two sprigs of hair that seemed unable to smooth down. The other had more smooth hair, though both had hair that hung down to their shoulders, and his eyes were much gentler. Mariku noted that the one with more severe eyes had been the one that had been looking at him. He had the Millennium Ring around his neck, a circular ring that looked almost like a dream catcher, with a flat pyramid with an eye in the center of it, as well as several dangling diamond shapes. They knew it could point out other Millennium Items, and so it was no surprise that it pointed at Marik, who was hiding the Millennium Rod on his person.

They both instantly paused. It had been obvious that they hadn't noticed the two of them, not really. But with the Millennium Ring suddenly acting up they had taken a greater interest in the two of them. They both looked up, though Marik and Mariku had pretended not to notice the Ring's behavior. The two strangers seemed to freeze, as if they had realized something. They probably had. If anything, Bakura and Marik had been such good friends that this alone could have tipped it off, besides the fact that they obviously recognized them. Instantly the two turned and began to walk towards the couple.

Even Mariku was greatly interested in the two. It went to show just how much their ancient selves had been bonded as close friends. The two walked over, and the shorter of the two white haired boys smiled at them kindly. They looked almost like twins too, and only a closer inspection of their faces made it possible to tell that they weren't related at all.

"Hello," the happier one said in Japanese. "I don't think I've seen you two around here before?"

"No we only just moved here a few days ago," Marik replied, with just a good nature. That wasn't a lie. They had moved in recently to a little apartment here in town, not too far from the school.

"Welcome to Domino city," the boy replied, smiling wider. To anyone, it would have looked like rather friendly advances to a stranger. But Marik and Mariku could see it for what it really was. They were seeking answers. "We just got out of school. My name is Ryuo, and this sour faced kind is named Bakura."

Bakura inclined his head a little to the two of them. So he shared a name with his ancient counterpart too? It must not be that odd then. Still, they were a little unsure of why the two of them had insisted upon coming and talking to them right then. However, they decided that their particular path had already been set, so they continued as if they hadn't recognized the two of them, which seemed to put them out, but only for a moment.

"So," Bakura said. "You've moved into town? Are you going to be going to school here too?"

"As a mater of fact," Mariku replied. "We are. We're in the process of being transferred into a high school called Domino High School. It's taking a while though."

"That's where we go to school," Ryuo said, smiling broadly.

"I can tell why it's taking a while," Bakura mused. "Your skin tone is really dark. No offense, but you're not from around here are you?"

"No we're not," Mariku replied.

"We' re from Egypt," Marik added. No point in hiding it now. They would have figured it out eventually.

"Egypt?" Ryuo asked innocently, though they could tell that the two had great interest in their eyes at this piece of information. "That's a bit of a journey."

"Just a little," Marik laughed.

"Have you ever seen an object like this?" Bakura asked, pointing to his Millennium Ring. Again, there was no point in hiding it, so Marik pulled out his Millennium Rod.

"You mean like this?" Marik asked. "My sister told me to watch over it. She said it would be important. I know the myth of a Rod like this. So I know it's powerful."

"So you don't know why you have it?"

Marik just shrugged. The two of them seemed a little confused, but they seemed in a rush now too. Most likely they would be going to tell the others what they had discovered. Good, the more support they had with them sooner the easier they would find it to complete their task, vague now that it was.

"Well sorry," Bakura said. "We have to go."

"It's nice to meet you," Ryuo added as they hurried off.

They watched the two of them go, and Marik and Mariku felt more interested in what was going on than they had in a long time. At last they were going to be doing something instead of just hiding away and hoping that they could survive. Silently they stood and departed for their apartment, quickly notifying the god as they walked.

* * *

**This was kind of an odd chapter and it felt rushed to me at points, but I'm pretty proud of how it turned out. I wanted to use it to show how their relationship had blossomed. I hope that was a good enough start to their relationship for those of you who have fallen in love with the BronzeShipping in this story. And anyway, please feel free to leave a review below and enjoy the coming chapters.**


	5. Phase 05: Ghostly Encounters

**Well here we are again. Thanks to everyone who's been keeping up with this story so far! I've gotten way more support than I would have thought I would. So anyway, thanks and I'll be sure to update as I have the time.**

* * *

**Thanks to Ern Estine 13624 for favoriting, as well as heidlebergchick! Thanks for saying how you thought the chapters were going as well! I hope this chapter lives up to all of your expectations.**

* * *

**With that in mind, let's go on to the chapter now!**

* * *

Phase 05: Ghostly Encounters

* * *

Marik wasn't exactly sure what they were going to do. Everything seemed rather confused and off. But he kept his thoughts as much to himself as he could. He had finally got Mariku calmed down enough to get some sleep. He was usually too high strung, worried about protecting Marik. Marik could understand why he was so stuck on him though. Mariku had never really had any lasting human contact that wasn't harmful. He wondered suddenly if Mariku had any family that was worried about him, or regreted what they'd turned him into. He'd never really asked him about it, and Mariku's thoughts on the matter were carefully hidden from his mind.

Mariku shifted a little, and Marik again shielded his mind as much as he could. He didn't want to wake Mariku now that he had actually fallen asleep. But of course, the boy had refused, unless of course he was sure that Marik was safe. Which meant that they were in their apartment, quietly in the time of day when there was sure to be no one out and no one would bother them. But it also meant that Mariku was very close. Marik had been laying on the couch when he had convinced Mariku to get some sleep. So now the wolfish boy was laying on him, his head resting on his chest as he slept, as if he was listening to the boy's heart.

Marik looked down. The boy's head raised and lowered a little as he breathed, and he found the sight mesmerizing for a moment. Looking at him, Mariku didn't look very dangerous at all. He just looked like a normal teenage boy. But Marik could still feel his mind. Even now, the wolf was bristling and dangerous, asleep, but ready to leap forward with a flash of teeth if he needed to.

Mariku hadn't been sleeping often, if at all. He had been worried a lot here lately. He hadn't always been this high strung, but since the robed strangers had managed to separate them once he had not been able to take his eyes off of Marik since. Now though Marik had convinced him that with the others so near they would have much less to worry about. After a few more arguments, eventually Marik had won out, and the boy had laid down to sleep.

Mariku had already been asleep for a few hours, but Marik didn't want to awaken him unless he absolutely had to. Normally even within their dreams they would still be able to talk to each other with no problem, but Mariku had been so tired that now he was actually dreaming. His dreams were hidden from his mind, but every now and then Mariku's wolfish mind would bristle. Marik imagined he was dreaming of some memory he had, but he couldn't tell what it was. Again, without thinking, he reached up and ran his hand his hand through the boy's hair. Mariku's mind instantly seemed to calm and the boy nuzzled closer to him instinctively.

Marik couldn't help but smile a little. He could be rather sweet when he wanted to, even when he was awake. It just took a while to find that sweet side. Mariku seemed to sense Marik's happiness and a small smile touched his lips a moment before his mind growled again at something he was seeing and his face retained a blank expression again. Marik let his hand run through the boy's hair again and again. Even though it remained spiked upwards, it was soft to the touch. For a long while, Marik just sat there like that, and more than ever he was glad he wasn't alone. He felt sure he would fail if he was alone. Mariku was the strong one.

He felt Ra's mind pass over his a moment, then over Mariku's checking them. But then he disappeared again from sight. Before the shrouded strangers had found them because they had followed Ra's mind and then found them there. So now he was careful to remain hidden, though he often checked on them. He also didn't want to alert the other gods to his presence just yet. He was just as glad as the other two that they had located them, but in order to go along with their plan to pretend that they didn't know what was going on he would have to have as little contact with the two of them as possible.

Marik sighed a moment and closed his eyes. Things were happening rather quickly now, and he wasn't ready for any of it. He had just been a tomb keeper before. That had been no grand life or even a normal one, but at least then he hadn't been afraid for his life every day. At least then he didn't have to worry about prophecies and curses. He missed his brother and his sister and wondered how they were doing. He was sure they were better off without him though. They had never seemed to like to watch him much. He had been little more than a nuisance to them, and he had left them while they were terrified of him. He was sure that they would be alright.

Marik heard someone take a step forward. He paused a moment. He hadn't heard anyone open the door. His eyes flew open with a gasp and tried to let out a warning, but someone clamped their hand over his mouth to keep him from crying out. Then before he could move there was a flash of light and he found himself in his mind. Or more specifically, in his mind room. He froze and looked around. He knew the room. It was dark in the corner but well lit in the middle. Other than that, there was little in it. He turned around to look at the man that had grabbed him.

He was still distantly connected to his body, and as he saw him, he hoped that for his sake that Mariku didn't wake up. It was Shadi. Marik knew him, but he also knew he was dead for at least five thousand years. Shadi hadn't moved, and as far as he could tell he still has his hand clamped over his mouth and he couldn't move his body. Shadi was a tall and thin man, and his skin was darker, about as dark as Marik's was. His eyes were a dark brown color, and he was wearing all white, with a turban over his head. He had the Millennium Key in his hand, which is how he had ended up here. It could open someone's mind and look into. But Shadi had another interesting power with that. People had to tell the truth when he spoke to them.

Well, except for Marik. He had been trained to resist the powers of all of the Millennium Items because of his position as tomb keeper. If Mariku had been the one to be contacted by Shadi, then he would have had no choice but to tell him everything. But as it was, Marik was able to avoid being forced to tell him the truth. He could hide from him if he wanted. So he turned to Shadi, and acted like he'd never seen him before in this life, or the life before.

"Wh-Who are you?" he cried. "How did you get in here?"

Shadi paused a moment, surprised. He seemed to look at Marik for a long time, as if trying to decide what he thought of him. Marik didn't drop his disguise, and looked at him as if he'd never met him before, though he couldn't keep a little bit of recognition out of his face. But that was fine he decided. If he pretended to not remember anything at all then it would only make them worry more.

"My name is Shadi," the man said at last. "I will not hurt you. I am not even alive. You know what this is I assume, the Millennium Key correct?"

Marik made a careful show of looking down at the key, then back up at him. He seemed to still be nervous and took a few steps back, watching him with distrustful eyes. Shadi showed the boy his hands, careful to tell him that he wasn't meaning any harm towards him at all, just that he was here to talk. Marik relaxed just slightly, though still watched him carefully.

"I see you do recognize it," the ghost said. "So tell me, what exactly do you know?"

"About what?" Marik asked.

"About what is happening now," Shadi said. "Why you are here. Surely you must realize that you were drawn here for a reason."

Marik looked up at him as if he was surprised. Even though he was pretending that he didn't have any clue what was going on, he realized that Shadi had been sent by the others. Bakura and Ryuo must have brought it to their attention, and Shadi had come for them, to figure out what was going on.

"I know about the prophecy," Marik admitted. "It was taught to me at a young age."

"I know some of the prophecy as well," Shadi said, nodding and seeming pleased that he knew that much.

"No," Marik said. "I know the whole prophecy."

Shadi froze, staring at him with an open mouth. He seemed surprised at first, and then his eyes grew very serious. Marik noticed Mariku's mind beginning to stir. He would wake soon.

"Have you been followed at all?" Shadi demanded.

"Yes," Marik admitted. No point in hiding that. They would be worried either way.

"But you don't know much?" Shadi asked.

"No," Marik replied carefully.

Shadi watched Marik for a moment, trying to decide what he was going to do. Marik grew a little nervous as he felt Marik beginning to stir against his chest. If he woke up and decided that he was going to hurt Shadi...well he wasn't even sure it would work but he didn't want to find out either. Marik felt Mariku's mind awaken full force, but he stayed still and pretended to sleep. He had recognized Shadi too, though he did do a quick check through with his mind, peeking in to check on him. But he was fine.

"I will tell you this," Shadi said. "You are more involved in this world than you know, and you must be careful. I will help you to find your way into Domino High School, but the rest will be up to you."

With that, Shadi carefully backed out of Marik's mind and left him alone. There was a flood of light again as Marik was returned to his own body, and he gasped, finding himself disorientated. As far as he could tell, Shadi was gone. And Mariku instantly pulled the boy against his chest, holding him tightly and growling in his mind against Shadi and rebelling against the fact that someone else had touched Marik's mind. He quickly kissed Marik's forehead, which instantly calmed him a little. Marik relaxed. Ra often said that they were bonded by an invisible third eye on the forehead, and that kiss had the power to calm him. He was still nervous, but not as much as he had been.

"What did he want?" Mariku growled when he was sure that Shadi was gone.

Marik let out a shaking sigh and then told Mariku everything that had been said between the two of them, and that he thought that Shadi had been sent by the others to see how they were doing. Mariku listed with rapt attention to his account. He didn't try stop him or ask questions, and remained very still until he had finished. Only then did he speak.

"You managed to trick him?" Mariku asked.

"Yes," Marik replied. "He thinks we still know nothing, or very little. But I also told him about the Prophecy, as well as the fact that we're being followed."

"Why?" Mariku asked.

"They would have found out anyway," Marik replied. "I will have to tell them that prophecy soon enough."

"No," Mariku said, growling a little. "Why did you tell them we were being followed? I don't need any help protecting you."

Marik looked up with a little surprise. But it seemed like Mariku had a hard time accepting the fact that there were other people that could demand Marik's attention. Marik was surprised to find a little jealousy in his mind. Now it was Marik's turn to reach up and kiss Mariku gently on the forehead. Mariku bristled a moment, resisting. But eventually he found Marik's pleas for him to be calm too much to resist. He always found Marik too much to resist. He relaxed a little, but pulled Marik closer to his chest anyway.

"It'll be alright," Marik assured him. "Trust me."

"I trust you," Mariku replied instantly and unconditionally.

He nuzzled his nose into its favorite resting place, on the curve of the boy's neck where his neck met his shoulder. He buried his face into the boy's hair and his scent, breathing it in. Marik let a small smile touch his face, knowing that he had relaxed again. He sat there a moment, feeling the boy breathing against his chest and feeling his breath pass lazily over his neck.

"Shadi promised to find a way to get us into Domino High School," Marik said. "And after that, we'll be on our own until we can make contact with the others."

"So it begins," Mariku sighed.

Marik had no answer for him. Part of him was scared to begin. If they began, would there be any going back? He knew there was no going back now. His family would never accept him, not after what he had done to scare them as a child. Mariku's family was as gone out of his life as they could get, even if they were still alive. But part of him was excited. Finally he would be reunited with the friends he had lost. They had once given everything to give the world time, and now he would give anything to see them once again.

* * *

**Sorry that this chapter was somewhat short. I wanted to have some sweet moments between Marik and Mariku before we began the main body of the story where they meet up with the rest of them. I wanted to explain too how they got into Domino High, though I won't ever really explain what Shadi does to get them in. But I also wanted to get Shadi involved because he will be helpful in this story line, especially as a link between the living and the dead. That will become more interesting later on. Promise. **

**I will eventually reveal the prophecy (which I haven't finished writing at this point) and also I will shove all of our main characters together, where some interesting things will happen to Mariku who really doesn't like people. Or so we thought. **

**Anyway, hope you enjoyed and feel free to leave a review below!**


	6. Phase 06: Lion Fox and Eagle

**Because I got bored and apparently have insomniac tendencies tonight, here I am at 11 pm starting another chapter fully well knowing that it usually takes me nearly 6 hours to finish writing one. I don't feel tired though, just bored. So here we go. In this chapter we get to see Marik and Mariku entering High School together, and meeting up with their odd friends in this chapter.**

* * *

**Shout out to Ern Estine 13624 for being awesome and always responding so quickly and right to the point! And because your profile picture is adorable.**

**Thanks for all of your support!**

* * *

**And now on to the chapter.**

* * *

Phase 06: Lion Fox and Eagle

* * *

"Class," the teacher announced. "Today we have two new students joining us. They both moved here from Egypt recently, but they speak Arabic, English, Japanese, and several other languages. Be sure to give them a warm welcome."

Even though Marik and Mariku were waiting outside the classroom and out of sight they could both feel the rise in excitement in the classroom, and the peak in curiosity. Mariku snarled and bristled a little until Marik sent him a quick warning across their mental link. The wolf in the boy's mind settled down again, but reluctantly. Marik knew that Mariku had to hate it. He hated people. He just hoped he wouldn't end up getting too carried away again. Murder wasn't something that was easy to explain away at all.

Mariku glanced at Marik. They were both dressed in the blue school uniforms of Domino High School. And even that simple outfit hadn't managed to make Marik look any less attractive. In fact he almost looked more attractive. Somehow he managed to make the simple blue jacket and pants look sexy. Mariku could never understand it, and shook his head. Mariku on the other hand, even in his uniform, couldn't hide the muscle on his build, or the fact that he was just plain ripped. Marik couldn't help but stare for a few moments. How did he do that? No matter what he wore, even if it fit rather loosely, it looked as if he might burst through it at any time. He was very strong, and it was obvious when you looked at him. Marik quickly nuzzled Mariku with his mind, praying that he would manage to make it through one day without threatening someone with their life.

"Come on in," the teacher invited them.

Marik sighed. It was now or never. Mariku assured him that he would be fine, again promising him that as long as he was here he could put up with anything. Then Mariku stepped forward to where the class could see him.

There were several gasps, and Marik though several of the girls might just die right then and there. They acted like they had never seen an attractive person in their entire life. Then again, the guys looked like they wanted to sink into their seats and disappear. He knew why. It was Mariku's eyes again. Those eyes were so devoid of any human emotion. He looked like an animal, and those eyes only made it worse. Also his body language, and the way he folded his arms, made him seem unapproachable. He could imagine that the other three pairs were staring at him, trying to read him. That was impossible. Even Marik had trouble doing that at times, and their minds were bonded together.

"Introduce yourself," the teacher said kindly. Mariku still mentally growled at each her.

"My name is Mariku," he said. "My last name doesn't matter. I don't play nice. And Marik is mine. Touch him and you're dead."

This seemed to unnerve several of the students. They weren't sure what to make of Mariku now. Marik mentally face palmed. That was just great. The perfect first impression. And why of all things did he have to announce to the world that they were dating? Several of the girls however seemed to still think he was cool even though he had just threatened them with their lives and were severely disappointed that he had a boy friend. Marik felt strangely jealous at the thought. He had already failed at the not threatening someone part though.

"Very good," the teacher said, turning then to Marik. "Now it's your turn."

Marik nodded and stepped into the room. Instantly several gasps went up around the room. Mariku knew why that was. He had always known why. Marik wasn't just pretty anymore, he was sexy. He was everyone's dream. The perfect boy friend. If the girls had drooled over Mariku, they drooled more over Marik. The guys who were attracted to him though quickly tried to hide this fact, remembering that Mariku had threatened to kill them. Marik sent Mariku a quick warning, who visibly didn't respond, though his wolf like mind shrunk a little under his gaze. Marik's eyes and body language were much more friendly and open. The entire body of the class room seemed absolutely confused as to how two such complete opposites had started dating.

"Hello," Marik said with a smile. "My name is Marik Ishtar." Marik noticed movement in the back of the classroom and noticed three pairs of very similar looking people deadpan at the name. He knew why. They were the reincarnated forms of his friends, and the ancient Marik's name had been Ishtar as well. "Mariku and I have known each other since we were kids, and don't worry. He isn't going to actually kill anyone. He's really a nice guy deep down."

Mariku ducked his head just slightly, assuring Marik that he would behave more. Neither one of them revealed much about themselves to the class. In running for their lives they had all learned that they couldn't really trust any strangers or give them the benefit of the doubt. The students were far from satisfied by their introductions, but the teacher was. She smiled at them though it was obvious that she didn't really want to.

"Very well," she said. "Students you may speak to them later and ask them questions if you want, but now we must resume our lessons. You two can go and sit by Atemu and Yugi there."

They both looked up to find who it was they would be sitting by, and both had to force themselves to keep a straight face. Luckily it looked like the others hadn't realized that they hadn't remembered anything yet, because a concerned look flashed across the faces of the strange pair. They were sitting at the farthest point of the little group of pairs, and closest to the window. The only two open chairs were against the window and one behind the other.

The pair though was what commanded their attention. Those purple eyes were impossible to forget. One was shorter, a lot shorter. His eyes were a gentler color. The other was taller, and there was a slightly red tint to those eyes. They were both pale, but they had been born Japanese so it made sense that they didn't have the same dark skin as before. They both had the black hair, rimmed with red and gold that they remembered, only the taller one had more streaks running through his hair than the other. They knew him though. It would be hard to ever forget that face as long as they lived. The nameless Pharaoh they had died serving.

This taking in took only a few seconds, and then the two nodded to the teacher and walked back to them. Mariku of course took the seat in the back, leaning against the wall and keeping Marik within his sights at all times. Marik sat quietly down in front of him, then glanced over at the other two and smiled invitingly. Mariku just scowled as usual.

Marik noticed that all of the pairs were sitting that way, with the darker version sitting behind the lighter. He noticed Bakura and Ryou were on the outside of the group on the other side, as far away from the others as they could get. It made sense, because he doubted the Priest trusted the Thief King very much, even after all this time. Five thousand years of reincarnations had passed, and it still wasn't enough for him.

He noticed the pair that was the Priest. One of them looked exactly how the other had looked. It was a little scary how similar they were. He had shorter brown hair and icy blue eyes, and he was watching the two new comers with quite some interest. His lighter half on the other hand was a little shorter and obviously not Japanese. He had blue eyes too, but his hair, though it was cut nearly exactly the same as his darker counterpart, was blonde instead of brown. Marik and Mariku both decided though that the Priest could pull off blonde as well.

None of them seemed to mind that Marik and Mariku were sitting by the pair that was the Pharaoh. In fact Marik was sure they seemed happy about it. But it was obvious why. Even now, there was something about the Pharaoh that struck their interest. There was just something about those eyes, the way they both seemed to pour into their very souls. They were dark and mysterious, but patient and kind as well. They couldn't help but be highly interested in the pair. But even if they truly hadn't remembered anything, they would have still been highly interested in them. That's just the way it was. Because they were the Pharaoh, they were kingly. And they deserved their loyalty and attention. Even Mariku who hated people, felt it in his very soul. That commanding air. And for once, he didn't begrudge the two of them for having more power than him. Under those eyes, the wolf seemed to calm in a way that was close, but not as completely as Marik could calm him.

Marik studied them out of the corner of his eye, pretending to look out the window. Bakura and Ryou seemed to like foxes. There was something cunning in their eyes, something sneaky. Then again, they were the Thief King. Then there was the pair that was the Priest. There was something watchful about those eyes, something that made it so they never missed anything, like eagles. Then there was the pair that was the Pharaoh. They seemed like lions, powerful and kingly, but capable of ferocity as well.

The taller of the Pharaoh pair wore the Millennium Puzzle, not hiding the golden object at all. Bakura wore the Millennium Ring as well. Marik had the Millennium Rod, so that meant that the Priest pair had the Millennium Scales. It seemed a little odd that they had somehow traded items over the years, but it seemed that the Rod fit more in Marik's hands than in the hands of the Priest anyway. Marik and Mariku were also wearing gold. They hadn't taken their jewelry off, and it was written off as a part of their culture so they were allowed to wear it. This made the group in the back of the room very odd. There was so much gold within that group it would seem that they were all rich.

The two that made up the Pharaoh smiled at the two of them. The smaller one was a happier, easier going person. The darker one was carefully watching, but smiling patiently and gently at them, encouraging them to remember something, anything. The teacher had started talking, but she hadn't noticed the group in the back of the class that wasn't paying attention.

"My name's Yugi," the smaller one said. "And that's Atemu." he pointed to his darker version. "That's Seto Kaiba," he pointed to the darker haired Priest. "Don't let his looks fool you. He's a genius and he can be nice when he tries. That's Joey, who came from America," he pointed to the lighter haired Priest. "And you've already met Bakura and Ryou."

Neither of them responded. The others seemed to take it that they were overwhelmed, by memories or otherwise. There was a little bit of silence in the group, and Bakura, Ryou, Seto and Joey pretended to be paying special attention to the teacher's lesson. Marik supposed they thought that having less eyes on them would help. Atemu looked at them carefully, as if appraising them. Then he nodded, as if he had just confirmed something of great importance.

"So you two are dating?" Yugi asked, trying his friendly advances once again. "Atemu and I are dating. It's kind of weird though. It's almost like I'm dating myself."

Marik and Mariku couldn't help but act surprised and look at the two of them more. They couldn't help it. They had been afraid of what the others would think of that, but now that they looked they could see the same signs of love between all the different pairs. They weren't nearly so worried about what people thought about them now, and they were happy that they weren't alone in this. After all, it was the pairs that knew each other best. They understood each other perfectly.

"Why don't you two come sit with us at lunch?" Atemu asked. "I think it'll be good for the two of you to get to know more people."

They both couldn't help it. A jolt ran through them as they heard that voice. It was the same as the Pharaoh's, a timeless voice that spoke of power and seemed too deep to belong to a body like that. But it was a handsome one all the same. It commanded their attention. They looked up at him. Atemu and Yugi were smiling like nothing had happened, while the others were again watching the two of them carefully.

"Sure," Marik replied with a smile. "I think that would be great." Mariku just nodded.

That seemed to make the others considerably happier. Marik thought it was a little odd, until he remembered what Ra had told him. They had been reincarnating for years, always finding each other and preparing for the battle that would one day come. Now that they had found them after such a long time they were deeply worried about them. They all knew that the battle would soon be here, and they didn't want the two of them to get hurt. It was both welcome and a little odd to Marik.

Class passed quickly, a little more quickly than Mariku would have liked. He wasn't really keen on the idea of going to lunch and being trapped in a room full of strangers. But Marik sent him calming thoughts and when the bell rang to announce that it was time for lunch Yugi grabbed Mariku's arm and tugged him after him down the hall.

Mariku's mind was full of confused thoughts. On one hand, he hated Yugi for just touching him. On the other he knew he could never hate him because of who he was. He sent Marik a plea for help, but Marik just assured him that it was fine and even encouraged him to talk to Yugi. Atemu shook his head with a somewhat amused smile as he looked after him.

"There he goes again," Atemu said. "Yugi always has been really good at making friends. So what is Mariku like?"

"Honestly?" Marik asked. "Insane." they looked at him like they thought he might be joking, but there was nothing but seriousness in his eyes. "I'm serious. He's insane. His mind works much more like an animal's than a human's. He might just kill someone. He has been hurt by people a lot though, and he doesn't trust easily. The fact that he let Yugi touch him at all is kind of surprising."

The group seemed very upset at the thought that the darker counterpart of the two was in fact kind of a maniac. But they weren't scared of him. On the contrary Marik felt sure they felt scared for him. And angry. He wasn't sure exactly how the group dynamic worked within this group, but it seemed that they were all very close, though Seto and Joey still didn't seem to trust Bakura and Ryou. Atemu looked at Marik again, as if measuring him up.

"Did he say why?" he asked.

"He doesn't talk about his past," Marik shrugged, then felt compelled to add. "And I won't either so don't ask. It's not something I like to talk about."

There was silence a moment, and they all looked at each other. Marik felt almost sure that they were talking to each other in their minds. With this in mind, he turned again to study Yugi and Mariku. They certainly made an odd pair. Mariku looked like he might just kill Yugi with that glower of his, but Yugi smiled and chatted happily as he dragged the much larger young man down the hallway and into the cafeteria. Marik suddenly felt someone grab him too. This was Joey, who smiled at him with a kind of arrogant air.

"Well come on," he said in a thick accent. "Let's go. Don't want to keep your boyfriend waiting do you?"

Before Marik could really say anything Joey was dragging him down the hallway towards the cafeteria too. Marik began to protest, but Joey just laughed and told him to relax, dragging him to a table in the back where Yugi had already begun to smile and chat again with Mariku. Mariku uncharacteristically looked like he wanted to disappear off the face of the planet, and seemed very glad when Marik was dragged over to the table to join them and the rest followed. Joey deposited Marik in the seat next to Mariku and the others all sat as well, with Bakura and Ryou on one side of them and Atemu and Yugi on the other. Joey and Seto sat across from them.

"So how are you liking Japan?" Yugi asked, firing off another question to the less than cooperative Mariku, who only shot him a sideways glance. This didn't seem to put Yugi off though, and he just smiled.

Marik looked up and noticed several girls and even a couple guys that seemed very disappointed that Marik and Mariku had instantly been snatched up by this group. Mariku realized that as well when Marik noted it, and his mind relaxed a little. He supposed that having Marik around these guys wouldn't be so bad then since they seemed to keep the drooling masses away from Marik. Yugi seemed to really want to get his attention.

"Well?" Yugi asked politely. Mariku sighed.

"It's too cold," he said at last. "I'm used to deserts."

Marik was astounded. He never spoke to anyone but Ra and him in a civil tone. The fact that he had responded at all to Yugi was a miracle. Mariku's mind growled both indignantly and a little pleased at the praise that Marik had just given him. Marik couldn't help but smile a little, which he couldn't help but notice made the others a little happier as well.

_They really seem to have missed us, _Marik said to Mariku.

_Perhaps, _Mariku replied. _But the time has come for our battle to come again._

_You're uncharacteristically concerned with that today, _Marik noted.

_Do you think so? _

Marik couldn't tell if Mariku was being sarcastic. It was often hard to tell what emotion was in his voice alone. He could tell though that Mariku was a little frustrated. Marik quickly sent Mariku as many comforting thoughts as he could. That seemed to calm him a little bit. After a bit of an awkward pause, they all pulled out their lunches and began to eat it. A bit of an awkward silence seemed to stretch across the table.

"Well," Yugi said, seeming to be one of the friendliest and always the first to speak. "You two could hang out with us today after school. I think it would be good for you, we'll be able to show you around town. And of course we might have to teach you a few things about games."

"Games?" Marik asked.

"Yeah," Yugi replied with a smile. "Everyone here plays games. And most of us like to play this certain card game. So will you come hang out with us?"

Marik and Mariku looked at each other. They didn't say anything in their minds. For a while they just seemed to be thinking, weighing their options. At last though, Marik sighed and nodded.

"Sure," he said. "Why not. I guess it won't hurt anything."

"Great," Yugi said with a big smile. "Meet us by the front gate then after school and we can go to the Game Shop my grandpa owns. It's not very big but I think it'll be okay for a while. Everyone okay with that?"

Everyone murmured their consent, though it looked like Seto wasn't too keen on the idea. Marik and Mariku could only wonder why that was. Still, he was excited, though he hid the emotion. It flared across his mental link with Mariku, and the boy couldn't help but feel a little excited as well. They had done it! They had finally come full circle, and they were again in contact with the friends that had brought them to this point in the first place. Their battle would begin soon though, and they couldn't let their guard down. Marik knew that soon he needed to tell them the true prophecy. It was a riddle, but if they didn't know it he feared they would fail. He more than anyone knew that sometimes fate didn't happen by chance, but by choice.

* * *

**Did you guys like this chapter? I felt like it was a necessary one to get things moving along, and this is about average length for what I write. The first two were really long for me. The next chapter will have them learning of a game (gee I wonder what it could be) and also they have some unexpected and unwelcome guests pop up. I hope you're enjoying the story so far, and feel free to leave a review below!**


	7. Phase 07: Inscribed in Flesh

**Here we go again! This is chapter seven! I'll have a brief mention of the card game of Yu-Gi-Oh, though it will only be brief because it doesn't play that much into the story. It will have to mentioned however because it is an interesting part of the story. Also, we're going to run into some characters that are not so good. Yay for confusion.**

* * *

**This time my shout outs are for everyone following, dropping favorites, and reviewing! There aren't that many of you, but thanks for your support all the same!**

* * *

**Anyway, on to the chapter.**

* * *

Phase 07: Inscribed in Flesh

* * *

It was almost ridiculous how quickly Marik and Mariku picked up on the silly little card game. Then again, they'd been doing it for thousands of years. Now however the pictures of the monsters had been drawn onto flimsy little paper cards and had no power to summon the actual creatures. Yet the likeness of every creature was astonishing. Instead of using actual magic to summon the monsters on the cards they placed the cards in certain order (though with a certain type of technology that Seto was in the business of making there could be holographic projections with them) and by using certain cards that were trap and spell cards you could easily win. It was more a game of strategy than anything else. But again, they knew the rules and only pretended to need to be taught how to play.

The others seemed very glad to see that they were so good at this game. Marik and Mariku knew that it would be much the same when they had to summon the gods against Zorc. That time was fast approaching. Yugi smiled encouragingly again as he began to pick up the deck, looking up at them with those odd eyes of his.

"You've got it down pretty well," he said. "You two sure catch on fast."

"You think?" Marik asked as if he wasn't convinced and was a little self conscious. "I wasn't too sure. I felt like I wasn't doing that well."

"You did great," Yugi assure him. "It's like you've been playing this forever!"

"It's a little odd how well we seemed to pick it up," Mariku said, playing right along with Marik's ruse. He pretended to be very interested in the cards in front of him.

This seemed like a perfectly acceptable response for the others. They watched the two of them with even greater interest than before. It seemed that they were waiting, watching carefully. They seemed to be trying to see if a change would come over them. But the two Egyptians weren't allowing their disguise to drop for even a moment. When the change wasn't forthcoming the group didn't seem discouraged. In fact if Marik could tell their mood right, they seemed even more determined than before to make sure they remembered.

Marik took a few moments to look around again. They were in a rather small living room. This part of the house was above the small game shop downstairs, and it was quaint but had a good feel about it. They barely manged to all fit in the living room. Ryou, Yugi and Atemu were the only other ones here. Seto had been called away on a business meeting and Joey had gone with him, excited to finally get to go on a tour with the CEO of Kaiba Corp. Bakura wasn't here because he was a kleptomaniac and had finally been caught in the act, though he was usually too good to be caught. He was in trouble, but instead of serving time in detention, the principal had accompanied him to a psychiatrist who was attempting to talk to Bakura and work out how to fix the problem. Needless to say, they were all sceptical that it would do any good. Bakura was a bad boy at heart, though around his friends he was loyal and he treated Ryou well.

So here they were. Yugi's grandfather was downstairs, running the game shop as usual. Atemu was sitting on the couch, watching them all with expecting eyes and patient ones. Even Mariku's fierce mind seemed to calm a little simply from that timeless gaze. Marik was sitting across from Ryuo, who had been dueling and teaching him to duel, and Mariku had been sitting across from Yugi. Mariku had taken to Yugi instantly throughout the day, which made Marik both a little jealous, but immensely pleased. It was good to see that he could let other people into his life. But it still didn't make the jealousy go away.

Mariku quickly apologized in his mind by nuzzling up to him. It was a gentle nuzzle, a nudge that was seeking attention. Marik could almost imagine the two wolves, one laying its head on top of the other's neck. Mariku seemed to approve of the image, and then he reached forward and grabbed Marik. He pulled the boy into his lap and wrapped his arms around his waist, putting his head into his favorite spot, nose buried into the crook of Marik's neck to breathe in his signature scent, though his head remained up more so that he could peer out at the other three. Marik gave a sigh, but it was more contented than it was exasperated. He laid his hands on Mariku's arms and didn't try to pull away. Mariku seemed to feel that Marik needed some attention suddenly.

The other three smiled a little, obviously glad to see that they could love each other. They even noticed Atemu's eyes soften a little as he glanced over at Yugi. Mariku growled a little in his mind at them, but it wasn't a threatening sound. It was more of an accepting sound. He usually didn't show Marik any affection around strangers, preferring to keep their contact within their minds. But he didn't mind showing them how much he cared for Marik. In a way they weren't strangers at all. But also Marik was glad to sense that Mariku trusted them, even if only a little now. Mariku never trusted anyone. Marik sent Mariku some encouraging thoughts and leaned a little farther back into his chest, bringing them closer together. Mariku's mind let out an affectionate growl at the boy when he did.

"You two seem really close," Ryou commented.

"Well," Marik said. "I did tell you that we had met as children. We've known each other for quite some time."

"Atemu and I only met last year in high school," Yugi said. "But we're still close. It's almost like we understand everything there is about each other."

Marik said nothing, fearing to give their ruse away. Instead he nestled farther into Mariku's chest as if he wanted to disappear, though his face showed no change in emotion. It was getting harder and harder to hide the truth. The more he was with the strange group the more he just wanted to confess that they knew everything. But that would mean they would have to explain why they had hidden this fact. Mariku's mind nuzzled against him gently, telling him that it would be alright and that they would think of something. Marik let that calm him a little bit.

"What's wrong?" Ryou asked, clearly seeing that something was wrong.

"Oh its," Marik said. Then he paused. Shouldn't he tell them what was really going on now? Wasn't that the best thing to do after all? Mariku just nuzzled his nose closer to him, assuring him that it would be alright either way. Marik sighed. He couldn't just tell them right out, not after all their pretending. But he could make it seem like they were beginning to remember. "It's these dreams I've been having. Well I guess that we've been having. In it the Egyptian god Ra keeps coming to us and talking to us. He's saying something about finding the others we had lost."

This seemed to cheer the other three up immensely now that they knew that the other two were beginning to remember. If Ra was coming to them then it wouldn't be long now. Mariku's expression didn't change, but he was so unreadable that Marik doubted it mattered. Marik on the other hand tried to look as confused and scared as he could. Atemu turned his patient eyes to the two of them.

"It's alright," he said. "You have nothing to fear from Ra, or us. You're wondering why you're so comfortable telling us this? It's because we are the ones you have lost. It's a bit of a long story that has to do with a curse and a prophecy. But it'll be alright."

"Let me guess," Yugi said kindly. "You can hear each other's thoughts right?" Now both of them pretended to be shocked that they knew. Marik's jaw dropped and Mariku raised his head a little, watching them carefully. "I see that you do. It's alright. It's normal for people like us. You've been having reincarnation dreams too right?"

"How did you-" Marik began and trailed off.

"It's alright," Ryou soothed patiently. "That's normal too. You see we were all once different people in ancient Egypt and tied closely together, though we were born into two bodies. It's a little much to take in, I know. But you'll get the hang of it. You were reborn for a purpose."

For a while, Marik and Mariku made a show of being quiet and thinking. Now Marik and Mariku were debating to tell them about the prophecy. No doubt they knew from Shadi by now that he knew the whole prophecy. But still...They at last decided that they shouldn't tell them yet. They didn't want to make anything too obvious. But they still would need to tell them eventually. However they knew that they would wait for now until the time was right.

"It has to do with a prophecy and a curse," Marik said. "Well I was, I was taught the full prophecy as a child. As well as about all of the Millennium Items."

"We know," Atemu said kindly. "Shadi told us."

"Sorry if he scared you," Yugi felt compelled to add. "He kind of does things his own way."

"I suppose that is a perk of being dead," Mariku growled quietly. No one laughed, unsure whether he meant it as a joke or was angry at the ghost. Marik could tell it was the latter.

"Yes well," Ryou said. "He also mentioned that you were being followed?" Marik and Mariku both paused a little.

"Yes," Marik said. "They call themselves the Hunters and they always wear black cloaks."

Marik knew that he had struck a memory within all of them as soon as he said that. He knew why. The Hunters had been the group that had appeared at the same time Zorc was being resurrected. If they were here again then he would be coming again onto the earth, and that wasn't a comforting thought. But it was a reality that they needed to face none the less. The other three seemed very worried about the two Egyptians suddenly.

"How many times have they come after you?" Atemu demanded in a no nonsense voice.

"Three," Mariku replied. "They always go after Marik. But they've met with me every time and they're growing wary." That both seemed to comfort and disturb the other three.

"Why do they want Marik?" Yugi gasped.

"Because of the prophecy," Marik replied. "They don't want the whole prophecy known. There are dark secrets in it that they want to keep hidden."

"What does it matter?" Ryou asked. "You can't possibly remember the whole thing. You were a child. You probably forgot some of it."

"No I can never forget," Marik said, wincing a little. Mariku laid his chin on the boy's shoulder again.

"What do you mean?" Atemu asked, noting the worry that appeared in Mariku's eyes.

"It's written on my back," Marik said, then noting their confusion, explained farther. "It's part of a rite of passage that I had to pass through because of my family's promise. At ten years of age the prophecy is carved into the back of the keeper with a burning blade."

All three of them blanched and looked like they might get sick at just the idea. They couldn't imagine having to endure something like that. They stared at him with new wonder, but they also began to understand a little why Mariku was so unwilling to let people around Marik. Mariku had already been betrayed countless times by the people he had come to trust, and he knew he could trust Marik with anything. He loved the boy dearly. Almost to the point that he couldn't live without him. Marik had been hurt by people once too. And that was something that Mariku could not allow. He could stand any torture that people threw at him. But he would crumble if he saw Marik hurt by people again. It was a fragile bond that had been forged. And Mariku had long been determined to keep people away and protect Marik as long as he could.

Mariku's mind let out a possessive growl as he pulled Marik closer and buried his nose into the boy's neck again. Marik felt the thoughts passing through his head and tried to calm him, but Mariku would not be calmed. Mariku had suddenly gotten an odd foreboding. He was suddenly more wary than Marik felt he should have been. But somehow the wolf like mind had sensed that something was wrong, and very wrong. He snarled and looked towards the window. Ryou paused, following his line of sight.

He stood and crossed the room, then carefully peered out. Every movement he made suddenly seemed careful, and he truly did remind Marik now of a Thief. He peered out the window for a moment, and then suddenly leaped back with a colorful curse. Marik was surprised, as were Atemu and Yugi. Marik had never expected to hear Ryou say something like that, and Atemu and Yugi were surprised to see the snarl of concentration etched onto his face. Marik and Mariku knew that face. He was planning a hasty escape.

"What is it?" Atemu asked.

"They're outside," Ryou snarled. He didn't have to say who. "They're talking to your grandpa Yugi. He's trying to turn them away but they're not budging."

"They must have followed us somehow," Yugi gasped.

There was silence a moment. Now that they were listening for it, they could hear the sound of an argument coming from downstairs. Yugi's grandfather didn't know why these people wanted Marik, but he knew that they were up to no good. He denied that he was here, trying to protect the boy. It was becoming a more violent argument. Soon they would get tired of the old man and barge in. Yugi was worried for his grandpa, but also worried for Marik. Mariku had pulled Marik closer to his chest and was holding him a little too tightly. It hurt a bit, but Mariku's mind only growled an apology and nuzzled closer, looking around for somewhere to have Marik hide if it came to a fight. Marik tried to argue that he could protect himself, but Mariku wasn't having it. Ryou was pacing a little, thinking quickly. Atemu looked at them all.

"Ryou," Atemu said, taking control of the situation. "We need to get out of here and fast. We have to head for the Kaiba Corp Headquarters. We can hope that Seto's done with his meeting now and will help us out. We can't be seen. Yugi, Mariku, let's go."

He didn't say Marik's name because at this point if Mariku didn't let him get up he wasn't going to be able to go anywhere anyway. Mariku looked up at Atemu, meeting his eyes. Atemu didn't flinch or advert his gaze, and the wolf in Mariku's mind seemed to register that Atemu was in a way his alpha, even if he did remind Marik of a lion. Mariku nodded and released Marik, letting him stand. Then he stood and grabbed Marik's wrist, following after Yugi, Atemu, and Ryou as they ran from the room. The lighter half of Thief King quickly led the rest of them out of the room and away from the danger, taking an odd route through the game shop so there was less of a chance that they would be seen from the outside.

Ryou was focused now. He had a duty to get his friends safely away, and he was going to do just that. Marik just followed after Mariku. They were in the back of the group, but Mariku's grip was like iron. He was going to end up brusing his wrist, but he was too worried about having the Hunters catch him to pay any mind to that now. He dragged the boy after him, slowing his pace a little when Marik nearly tripped. That happened often because Mariku was tugging him after them so quickly.

Ryou didn't hesitate to leap out a window, telling the other to quickly follow. They did so, and he carefully shut it again before leading them through a series of odd obstacles that were hard and slow to traverse, but hard to see beyond. Ryuo had specifically chosen this path for protection because he knew that there would be less guards, if any at all down this path. They would have thought they would have taken an easier path away from there if they had tried to escape. However they hadn't counted on the fact that half of the Thief King would be leading them away. His entire being was made up of the fact that he could get anywhere practically unseen.

As they were running, even Marik and Mariku could understand that he knew a lot of back alleyways and that he knew them well. He led them down empty streets and alleys that were dark and mysterious. He led them down odd twists and turns that Marik hadn't been aware had even been there. But it made it hard for anyone following them to know where exactly it was that they were going, or how to follow. He leaped over fences and obstacles like they were nothing. He had obviously taken these back roads a lot. Marik felt a sudden appreciation for the boy. He seemed gentle and kind, but there was a light now in his eyes that didn't speak of that, but a fierce loyalty and determination. Then again, Thief King Bakura had been much the same.

At last Ryou stopped in a sheltered area, keeping them carefully out of sight. They all breathed hard for a minute, trying to catch their breath. Then Atemu pulled out his cellphone to warn Seto why they were coming and that they needed his help. That building was after all the most heavily guarded area in Domino City. They would be safe there for a while. Ryou also pulled out his cellphone to tell Bakura to meet them there and to be on his guard. There were bound to be more of them around the city than just those Hunters they had seen.

While they were talking, Mariku was fidgeting nervously. He watched for any signs of danger, and Marik stood very still, knowing it would only distress him more if he tried to move. After Mariku saw no danger for a while, he turned to Marik. He quickly loosened his grip on his wrist, but the damage had been done. Already it was starting to bruise. Mariku's mind let out a whine of such hurt that you would have thought that he would have been injured or seen Marik hurt nearly to the point of death. That's how much he hated hurting the boy at all.

Mariku gently cradled the injured wrist in his hands, looking it over quickly. Marik couldn't help but feel a little pity for the boy. He just couldn't stand to see those that he trusted hurt. Marik reached up and took the taller boy's face in his hands, then leaned his forehead into his. Where the third eye would be on their foreheads touched, and their mental link suddenly flared to a greater intensity than ever before. Mariku met Marik's eyes as the boy poured him gentle and soothing thoughts. He assured him that it didn't hurt much and that he didn't hold it against him. He sent him a gentle wave of love as well, letting him know that he understood he felt like he was doing what was best.

Mariku stared into those lavender eyes, both surprised and relieved. He just stared at Marik a while, who smiled gently at him and looked back without fear. Within a few moments Mariku's shoulders had relaxed. He closed his eyes, nuzzling a little into Marik's forehead and one of the hands on the side of his face. Marik just smiled back gently and stroked the boy's face with his other hand. Mariku's mind let out a gentle and contented growl, but there was still a note of protectiveness in it.

The others turned and paused a little as they saw the two of them. There was something sweet in it, something about the fact that Marik had fallen in love with the boy who was by definition insane and have him fall back into love with him. But also that Mariku was willing to do anything for the boy. It was a love that most people didn't seem to be able to find. Teenagers dated people that they thought attractive and then broke up. But this was something else. Instead of finding all of the faults between the two of them and constantly fighting, they found what was the same and drew on that. And even when there wasn't something that was the same for them, they found ways to make it work. They loved each other even though they shouldn't have been able to get along. It was unconditional. And that was what made it so sweet and beautiful to behold.

A little reluctantly Ryou broke the two of them apart and reminded them that they needed to go. Mariku again took Marik's wrist in his own, but he was much more gentle with it, and didn't pull him nearly so hard. Ryou then led them out of the darkness around them and into the more well lit street in front of Kaiba Corp. They quickly went into the main courtyard and then up to the front door. But Seto had already alerted the guards, who quickly escorted them inside and then into one of the many empty conference rooms in the huge skyscraper. It had a large window that overlooked most of the city, and for a moment Marik and Mariku couldn't help but be surprised by how large the city was. They were used to small villages in Egypt and china. This was something else. They had expected it to be big, but they hadn't been expecting this grand of a scale.

In safety at last, they all managed to relax a little. Yugi then turned to Marik to look at this injured wrist, carefully nursing it for the boy and giving him some ice to keep on it. Mariku let the boy, uncharacteristically trusting of Yugi. He didn't mind him near Marik at all, which was really odd for Mariku. Then again, Yugi was so insistent on acting like a Mother Hen right then that Marik wasn't sure even Mariku could have gotten him to leave Marik alone. Once Yugi was finished however he seemed satisfied and left the two of them alone in the corner. Mariku sat in a chair and again drew Marik in his lap, holding him very gently.

_Do you think we should tell them the prophecy now? _Mariku asked.

_It might be best, _Marik sighed. _Those Hunters are still trying their hardest to keep us away from them. They must want to keep us from telling them the prophecy._

_I think they know the full prophecy, _Mariku said grimly. _And that's why they don't want the others to know. Because they want to keep that knowledge from them._

_If that's the case, _Marik sighed in his mind. _We can't wait much longer. Once they're all here then we'll tell them. That also means I have to take my shirt off. They can't read it, but they'll know what it is when they see it so they know I won't be lying._

_I'll allow it this once, _Mariku growled a little. _But only because I think we can trust them. I don't want more people drooling over you._

_They're all taken, _Marik reminded him in his mind with a metal laugh. _But don't worry. I don't like people staring at me either and especially not my back. I won't take off my shirt again, not unless I absolutely have to for some reason._

For a while they just sat in silence, but Marik's response seemed to have satisfied Mariku for now. He hated to have other people look at Marik's body. Mariku knew how touchy that subject was for Marik, and none of them really felt like sexual relations were a way to go for them at all. Why did they need it when their minds were so bonded together? But Mariku knew that people wanted Marik because of his body. Only several instances in Egypt and in China he had defended Marik from potential Rapists and even been forced to kill one that would have murdered Marik when Mariku stopped his fun. Marik of course had been forced to grow up quickly and learn how to defend himself and had repelled many attackers himself. But Mariku knew for a fact that people wanted Marik's body and he was determined to not give them any more reason to. The less of his body people saw the better.

Mariku laid his nose in its favorite position again, his mind growling in a much more content manor. He felt safe here. With these amount of guards and the fact that Seto would be worrying about them meant that there was no way that Marik could get hurt right now. The guards might have even been doubled. Besides, he was almost certain that none of the Hunters had seen them make there way here. So for now they were safe. Marik leaned into Mariku's chest again, assuring him that he felt that they were perfectly safe. If anything they were going to fine. That seemed to make Mariku feel even better, and he nuzzled closer, peering around the room at the others.

Seto and Joey soon came in. They both seemed extremely worried about the whole situation, and Seto's usually emotionless face now showed concern in his eyes, which even Marik found a little odd though he hardly knew the young man. After the situation was explained, both of them turned their eyes to Marik and Mariku. But the two Egyptians weren't saying anything yet, and just watched them. It was obvious to the others that they were holding some secret that they were ready to reveal. But they could also tell that they were waiting until they were all here.

Finally after a longer wait Bakura came in. He was breathing a little heavily, but the look on his face would have warned even Mariku that he didn't want to be messed with. That was a just plain evil look. Ryou didn't hesitate however and ran right over to Bakura, sharing things quickly over their mental language. This seemed to concern both Bakura, as well as Joey and Seto, who sent quick glances over to the two Egyptian. But obviously the other three assured them that everything was alright, so they visibly relaxed and peered at the two of them closely. Marik and Mariku gave them a few more moments to talk, then Mariku raised his head.

"They don't want us to tell you the prophecy," Mariku said. "They've been chasing us since we were children, trying to prevent that."

"What's so important about the whole thing that would make them want to chase you so much?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah," Joey cried. "It's not like they can do anything to stop it!"

"That's because it doesn't only speak of success," Marik replied. "But failure. They think if you don't know it there's a higher chance that we would fail."

"You said we," Bakura noted. "Does that mean that you remembered?"

"We did," Mariku replied coolly, daring them to doubt them. No one did.

"But you think that they want to keep you away from us then?" Seto asked.

"Yes," Marik replied. "Because there is a lot to that prophecy that people don't know. It not only involves us, but magic and all of the Millennium Items. But there is something else as well. My family has been guarding this secret for thousands of years. And now that the time has come it's time to reveal it."

With that, Marik stood. Mariku watched carefully out of the corner of his eyes to gauge the responses of the others. He was not in the mood to put up with a lusty stare. He didn't feel like they would do that, but he felt there was a chance and life had taught him to not take any chances. Marik turned his back to them, and then took off his school's jacket. Then he took off his shirt and looked over his shoulder at all of them. He had finally revealed the markings on his back where the only account of the true prophecy could hope to be seen. The other versions were lost to history, and the only way to see it was to find the tomb keeper and view the ancient words inscribed on his flesh.

* * *

**So what did you guys think? I decided to sit down and finish this chapter. It was a little bit of a longer one, and I wanted to split this chapter here for two reasons. One, I'm still putting the finishing touches on the prophecy and two, because I didn't want to make this chapter any longer. This was another pretty long chapter. But I hope the interactions between Marik and Mariku were to your liking, and also that the little tidbits about the prophecy were enough to keep you interested until I get the next chapter up. **

**Anyway, feel free to leave a review below to tell me how you think I did, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter, because this story is pretty fun to write.**


	8. Phase 08: Issued Challenge

**Here we are again! I'm really enjoying writing this story. This is the chapter where I reveal the prophecy I've been working on for what seems like forever! I'm pretty proud of how it turned out, and from now on the story line will make a little more sense since the characters know what they're supposed to be doing. I won't reveal how either way will help either side how just yet, but it also sets up a point to the story line that brings up magic and shadow games. Yes, because they have to play shadow games that are based off of the card game. Why? Because well...the fact that one of the people at least focuses on this for his powers. I wonder who. Anyway, that brings up a point where a lot of them end up in an interesting version of the Duelist Kingdom tournament which will be explained later. So much fun and story changing yay! XD**

**Also parts of the prophecy seem unfinished to me, and I'm not entirely happy with it, but it was the best that I could come up with. And I kind of sped things up maybe a little too much in this chapter. I hope it didn't move too fast. :/**

* * *

**Shout outs!**

**To everyone who is supporting this story! (Kind of lame I know but I love you guys all the same).**

**Thanks for all of your amazing support! This story is inspired to and kept going by you guys!**

* * *

**Anyway, onto the chapter.**

* * *

Phase 08: Issued Challenge

* * *

Mariku had nothing to fear of them looking at his body lustily. They were all too busy trying to keep themselves from throwing up. They had all heard across their mental link just how he had gotten that dark black scar. Marik gave them a minute to gather themselves, and even Mariku had felt a little badly for them. He had been with Marik while the scar had still caused him pain. The pain was long gone by now, but it was still terrible to watch him face such pain. They were only imagining it, but he had felt it across their mental link. That was part of the reason he never wanted to see Marik in pain again. That had been a hard time for both of them.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," he assured them. "It was seven years ago."

"That's a tradition for your family?" Yugi gasped in horror. "That's terrible."

"When you said it was carved into your back I didn't think you meant your WHOLE back," Ryou said, still looking sick.

"Why would you have to have that carved into your back?" Seto asked. "It's just sick." The others all murmured in agreement.

"Because this is the only copy left of the true prophecy," Marik replied. "The others were all burned and destroyed. So the first time it was done, it was carved into the arm. This made it hard to read. So the next son had it carved into his back, which was easier to view and much harder to destroy. Even if the person bearing the scar died it could be copied. The language that it was used in was long forgotten, but not by the line of Tomb Keepers, who always taught the words to the son that would become the Tomb Keeper."

"We can't read it," Yugi said.

Marik watched them all for a moment. He hadn't expected them to be able to. Their dreams in their minds even as reincarnation dreams had been in a sense translated so they could hear it, but that didn't meant that they understood the language. But he had been taught the prophecy and knew what it meant. For a while Marik was quiet, mentally translating the prophecy into English as closely as he could get and then letting out a quiet sigh. He chose English for Joey, who still seemed to have some trouble with Japanese. They needed to know, but it didn't make it any easier. Mariku silently encouraged him in his mind, and Marik looked up at them again.

"Didn't I tell you that it was taught to the Tomb Keeper?" he asked. "I am the Tomb Keeper now, and I will tell you as exactly as I can what it says."

Marik quietly closed his eyes, summoning the courage and the memory. He couldn't fail to make a mistake now. There was no room for error. The others were watching him expectantly, waiting for him to speak. Marik suddenly felt nervous and self conscious. He wasn't ready for this. But then Mariku sent him a simple memory.

They had been sitting together, and in it they were much younger. Marik's back had been paining him again, and Mariku wasn't sure what to do. But he had started rubbing Marik's back gently, ignoring the boy's squeaks of protest. He really didn't like his back being touched. But it began to soothe the fire away in his sore muscles, because the scar had already closed up. The movement was soothing, and even when Mariku talked softly about his past in the tomb and their unknown future together Marik had found himself lulled to sleep. Marik let that image calm him as it had that day, and then he opened his eyes and looked out the window in front of him as if for inspiration.

_At a time when men bow to none  
__and the power of gods should fail  
__shadows shall rise from Egypt  
__and the dead shall pierce the veil.  
__The game of shadows be woken  
__as the number shall rise to eight  
__and a forgotten name unspoken  
__lives to chase them with hate._

_The land of the rising sun  
__is the place our heroes come from  
__but also the land of plenty  
__and also the land of none.  
__By curse into two they are broken  
__one is shadow the other is light  
__but in them lies a promise  
__that the Balance will not fail this night._

_Nameless one arise:  
__your power may help you survive.  
__King of Thieves appear:  
__your cunning must pierce your fear.  
__Priest of Egypt come now:  
__you must learn to see past the how.  
__Keeper of Tombs quit silence:  
__you will pay or gain for defiance.  
_

_Each of the pairs has a gift  
__an item of power and price  
__but if it is used unwisely  
__then the world will fall to night.  
__Two then remain unchecked  
__for one is guarded by death  
__but the two with the power to see  
__may fall to evil deeds._

_If even one turns against the six  
__then the power of all will fail  
__the Balance will then be broken  
__and the dark will then prevail.  
__But if the seven unite  
__and magic flows freely again  
__then the light will be stronger than ever  
__and the darkness never shall win._

After reciting the lines, Marik fell silent and looked at all of them. They too were silent, pondering the words for a long moment. Then after a while they looked up at them. It was obvious that they weren't sure exactly what was meant by any of this, but they understood a little bit more about what they were supposed to be doing now. It was Joey that finally spoke their confusion. Marik quickly put his shirt back on and threw his jacket over his shoulder then turned to face them.

"What are 'the seven'?" he asked.

"They are the seven Millennium Items," Marik said. "The Millennium Rod, the Millennium Scales, the Millennium Puzzle, the Millennium Ring, the Millennium Key, the Millennium Necklace, and the Millennium Eye. Each has a specific power, and each can be dangerous enough on their own. The Millennium Rod lets the user control people's minds and seal monsters into stone tablets for use much like a more powerful version of the traiding cards, the scales can judge sins and send people to the Shadow Realm, the Puzzle can control monsters from the Shadow Realm as well as send people to the Shadow Realm, the Ring can let the user find whatever they're looking for and create Shadow Games, the Key lets the user enter into someone's mind, the Necklace sees the past and future, and the Eye lets the user see into someone's mind. These are all powerful objects, and their power together would be even greater. The two that are missing are the Necklace and the Eye, those with the power to see, because the Key is guarded by the dead." Marik didn't mention though that his sister was the one in control of the Millennium Necklace, and he didn't want to think about having to fight her.

"And so we're supposed to find them?" Atemu asked. "How? We'd have to search the entire world for them!"

"Not true," Mariku replied. "With so many Millennium Items in one place it will attract the users of the others. Then we can find them. Besides, Marik and I know where to find the user of the Millennium Necklace. So we should focus on the eye first."

Marik felt a spark of affection suddenly for Mariku. He was glad that he had managed to put off the fact that he would soon have to be facing his sister. He hoped that he could convince her to help them. But he doubted it. The last time he had seen her she had been terrified of him beyond belief. He doubted that she even wanted to remember that they were related. Still, he was glad that they could delay it, at least for a little while. Meeting his brother and sister again was not something he was looking forward to.

"Maybe that's the case," Bakura said. "But where on earth are we supposed to find the Millennium Eye? And even if we did, what would we do. Someone with that power isn't going to want to part with it easily, and we have no idea how we're supposed to convince them to help us."

It was obvious to Marik that Mariku had some ideas, but he quickly shot them down and reminded him that no sane person would ever suggest something like that. Mariku promised to act more in the way a normal person was and nuzzled Marik's mind with his own, seeking for forgiveness. Marik quickly forgave him and assured him that he did. Mariku grabbed Marik again and dragged him into his lap again, assured that everything was alright for the time being. The others didn't think anything of this little display of affection and were too worried about the fact that they needed to find the other Millennium Items before the Hunters did.

"Still," Joey sighed. "Where are we supposed to begin looking for something like that?"

"I'm not sure," Marik admitted, "But we'll have to keep an eye out for it. We need to look as normal as possible. There's no doubt in my mind that when we have to fight Zorc people will panic."

"Well yeah," Yugi sighed. "I mean it's kind of hard to expect to hide four enormous monsters."

"So we'll pretend to lead normal lives," Atemu said. "That way the students won't panic as much about the three gods and Zorc appearing. There's no doubt that this battle will come right here to Domino City."

They all nodded in agreement. That was true. Their group had the most ties here, and Zorc would want to destroy that. They just hoped that they would find a way to get enough power to fight against him by then. Even the power of the gods hadn't been enough last time! They would need a lot more power. Marik suspected that the uniting of the Millennium Items against Zorc would be what gave them their edge in battle, but the problem was discovering if their users would use them wisely and help them, or if they would be swayed by the darkness and help destroy the world.

Too Seto's slight annoyance there was a knock at the door. He had obviously ordered that no one come in and disturb them. But he called for them to enter. A man came in with a box labeled "Duelest Kingdom Tournament" and bowed to him before heading out. Seto looked at the box, but they had bigger things to worry about. But then before he threw it away Marik suddenly stood and looked at him. He had sensed something odd about it.

"Wait," he said. "Keep it. There's something odd about that."

Mariku stood as well and looked at it. He knew Marik didn't react to something for no reason. There had to be a reason he had suddenly become so interested in it. The others seemed confused. They weren't sure what was going on at first. But they could see that Marik was deadly serious. Seto sighed and turned to the large television in the room. He motioned for them all to gather around it, and then he popped the tape in.

Nearly instantly a man's face appeared. He was tall and handsome, obviously not from Japan either. He had pale skin and long silver hair. His left eye was covered with his hair, but the other was an icy blue color. Those eyes held a cruel amusement. He stared straight ahead as if at a camera, but Marik knew that he was faking. There was something oddly amused in his eyes.

"Hello there Kaiba boy," the man said. "I hope you're doing well. It has been a while hasn't it."

"Pegasus," Joey growled in obvious dislike for the tone the man was taking with Seto. "I have always hated that creep."

"Oh be a dear and shut up won't you Joey?" Pegasus asked from the screen.

The others were all greatly unnerved and gasped, staring at the television with confusion and slight horror. Mariku might have been surprised as well, if he hadn't felt Marik's mind and known that, for him, something had been confirmed. He glared at the man, who's eyes were sweeping the room. Pegasus paused, obviously surprised as seeing the two teenagers so calm.

"Calm down," Marik told them.

His calm tone had managed to make them calm a little, though they still had no clue what was actually going on. Marik continued to glare at the screen, which both irritated and highly interested Pegasus. He looked at the boy head on.

"Ah," Pegasus said. "I see you're not from Japan. Well my boy, it seems you know a lot more than I would have thought at first glance."

"That's right," Marik said calmly. "You're using the power of the Millennium Eye so you're able to see and talk to us right now, and project into our minds the image of you speaking with us on the television screen. That's why your left eye is covered."

Pegasus watched the boy a moment, and then he began to laugh. He clapped a little and looked at the boy with a new interest. Mariku snarled and stepped forward a little in front of Marik. He didn't like this man at all. Even a person like Mariku could tell that there wasn't something right in his head, and that was coming from a person who also didn't have something right in their head. Mariku could see that there was something off in the whole way he moved and spoke. And he didn't want him anywhere near Marik.

"Such an interesting young lad," Pegasus said. Then he moved his hair so they could see the shining gold orb stuck in his eye socket. "Yes, I do have the Millennium Eye. And for you to even know what it is and what I'm doing with it is quite impressive. Well then, I assume by the looks on the rest of your faces, that you know what this Millennium Eye is. Yes, I can also see in your minds that a Millennium Item is shared between a pair of you each, making four. I see. Fine then. This will work out splendidly then."

They all tensed a little, and the darker forms stepped in front of the lighter forms as if to shield them. Pegasus turned his eyes to each of them, trying to read his mind. But when he turned his to look at Marik, Mariku was ready. He could sense that Marik felt the other eye on him. So when Pegasus entered Marik's mind he met with a flash of teeth and a snarl. Pegasus visibly winced and turned his eyes to Marik and Mariku again, though he did not try to touch the boy's mind again.

"Interesting," he said. "Very interesting indeed."

"Just tell us what you want Pegasus," Seto growled.

"Patience Kaiba boy," Pegasus said. "I was getting to that. You see, I am very interested in your Millennium Items, and I can tell that you are just as interested in mine. So I'm prepared to offer you a little wager. All of you against me. The winner gets all of the Millennium Items to do with them as he pleases. I'll even let you play my little tournament in teams of two."

"Why?" Atemu asked, not trusting him at all.

"Because I need your Items for my own goal my boy," Pegasus replied with that somewhat cruel smile of his. "So what do you say? We'll make it a fair wager. You're even allowed to use your Items if you so wish. Then we will truly see which of the Millennium Items are the most powerful."

"What exactly do you want us to do?" Bakura asked with a growl.

"The rules, date, and location of my tournament are located within that box below," Pegasus said, unhelpfully. "I'll have a three more of the like sent over to you Kaiba boy. I do hope you'll all chose to attend, or I may have to resort to much baser methods. See you in Duelest Kingdom in a month."

With that the television seemed to turn off on its own accord and then everything went silent. For a while they just stood there, staring with apprehension at the box that sat on the floor. It's innocent white cover suddenly looked very, very dangerous and sinister. Could they afford to fight this battle? If they lost then they would lose everything, quite literally. But if they didn't then they might not have another chance to try and get their hands on the Millennium Eye. It was Atemu who finally broke that long and eerie silence.

"We might have to take his challenge," he said. "We might not have another chance."

"What do you think he means when he said that he would find 'other methods' to make us fight in his tournament?" Ryou asked.

"I wouldn't doubt that he could," Seto sighed. "But I don't think he'd do anything unless he was sure we weren't going to participate. We should be fine."

"But we should still give it some thought," Yugi said. "We can't just leap blindly into this. We'll have to get prepared. He is the creator of the game after all, even if it did come from Ancient Egypt."

They all nodded quietly, but no one else had any other ideas. It was the best one that they had, and they knew that most likely they would have to work with what they had. But Marik noticed that Mariku had an odd foreboding in his mind about this whole situation. Marik wasn't exactly sure why, or what had given him such an uneasy feeling. But he couldn't deny that he didn't like this one bit either.

* * *

**Hm, foreshadowing perhaps? ;3 **

**I will have about one chapter describing what they're doing during this time and how they're planning on facing Pegasus, but then I'm going to throw in something a little bit interesting. Don't worry about it, because these characters involved will still have a rather large part to play during this whole thing, but it will be a little odd. Should be fun right? I hope you're looking forward to it, and please feel free to leave a comment below.**


End file.
